In Walked Love
by SapphireJ
Summary: Someone wakes up married to one Stephanie Plum. Who? How did it happen? Who knows? Do they stay married? Come along for the adventure and find out! TART Story, but Babe friendly...
1. Chapter 1

_In Walked Love  
Chapter 1  
SapphireJ_

_Just a little something that won't leave me alone and allow me to finish my other projects. I know that if I write what is in my head, then once it clears, I can begin working on my other projects… so here it is. Hope you enjoy it._

_This is not a Babe or Cupcake (not that I'd ever write a Cupcake). This is a Tart story. I'm not sure when you'll figure out which MM is involved, but probably by the third chapter. This is probably all going to be from the MM's POV. _

_Leave me some reviews and let me know what you think!_

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As I struggled to wake up, I realized something was wrong. Before opening my eyes, I decided to try and take inventory: I was in an unfamiliar bed; it was harder than mine, I didn't feel any clothes on, and there was someone in bed with me. I tried wracking my brain to remember last night, but the more I thought about it, the more my head throbbed. Sniffing the air, I smelled a familiar scent and I prayed that I was wrong. Fighting the urge to open my eyes wide, and partly because if I just peeked, then I could tell myself it wasn't real, I decided to squint one eye. What I saw had my half my brain shouting, "Oh Shit! Oh Fuck!" while the other half shouted, "Hell YES!"

There, upon my chest, was a mass of brown curly hair. Part of my body screamed, "Run for your life," while another part throbbed and began to grow quickly. I closed my eyes and, once again, began praying that the person currently using my chest as a pillow was not Stephanie Plum. Closing my eyes, I thought back to last night and tried to rest a little to alleviate the headache.

_My brother, Chase, had just arrived in Trenton and signed on at Rangeman. I wanted to take him out to celebrate, so I sent word through the office. The only ones who didn't have plans already were Zip, Zero, and Junior. So, the four of us grabbed my brother and two vehicles, and headed off to Princeton. The bars in Trenton were boring and I wanted to have a good time._

_The first bar we hit was a dud. The music sucked and the beer was worse. So, we decided to hit Frankie's, a new bar that had just opened. When we arrived, we knew this was the place to be. The band was kicking ass and the wait staff was freaking hot! We secured a table and ordered our first round. Just as the beers arrived, I heard Chase whistle, "Dayum, looks like this is the bar for the night. Here comes a hot lookin' chick."_

_I turned to see who he was talking about and saw none other than Stephanie Plum and her group of friends walking towards us. She had the most amazing dress on; you know the type, short, tight, and black. When she reached our table, she smiled and looked at Chase. Giggling, she said, "I don't know you, but you sure look like you could be a Merry Man." Damn, she was already tipsy. Chase laughed, "What's your name and what the fuck is a Merry Man?"_

_Stephanie looked at her friends and back to Chase, "I'm sorry. I'm Stephanie, and this is Lula, Connie, Mary-Lou, and Valerie." Before she mentioned our names to her friends, she looked at each of us with her hands on her hips, "Now, I know your mothers didn't name you with street names, so I want given names."_

_Her glare landed on Junior first. Of course he had no control over himself when it came to her. "Marc is my given name," he said with a smile. Zip and Zero went next, "Alex. Bryan." Then her gaze turned to me. When she smiled and winked at me, I had to swallow before I could talk, "Matthew." I pointed to Chase and answered for him, "This is my little brother, Michael."_

_Stephanie smiled again, and when she looked around, she saw that the girls had all taken the empty seats at the table. Zip stood to go grab one, but she shook her head, looked at me, and planted herself in my lap. I was so shocked that it took a moment to get the blood flowing to the correct head. _

"_Sorry," she whispered in my ear, "all the other seats were taken. I hope you don't mind."_

_Mind? Did I mind that the woman who has stared in many of my fantasies is currently sitting on my lap? Fuck no. Under the pretense of keeping her from falling, I wrapped my arms around her waist. When I inhaled, I smelled her coconut lotion and was lost. I couldn't even tell you what the guys were talking about._

_As the night wore on, we'd all taken a trip around the dance floor with Steph. We tried to include the other women, but Lula and Connie had found other men in the bar to spend time with. About the time we were ready for a second trip around the dance floor, Mary-Lou had a call that her middle son was in the hospital with a broken leg. Not having a car of her own, Valerie decided to call it a night and give Mary-Lou a ride home. _

_As the guys, Steph, and I sat around the table, Junior decided to ask the question I wanted an answer to, but didn't want to ask. "So, Steph. What's up with you, Joe, and Ranger?" _

_Taking a drink, she gathered her thoughts before speaking, "Joe and I split up eight months ago. He finally realized what I'd been saying all along. We are better at friends than lovers. He wants me to change and I don't want to. I won't give up my friends or career just because he wants me to."_

_I nodded in agreement with her. I sure as fuck didn't want her to change or give up her friends. Chase, who didn't know her, asked, "And Ranger?"_

_Stephanie look at him for a moment before turning back to me, "He's your brother?" I nodded. "Got any other brothers?" Not understanding why that mattered, I nodded. _

"_I have two other brothers. One younger and one older." I smiled when she looked like she was thinking of what to ask next. Sometimes I wondered how her thought process worked because instead of asking about my other brothers, she decided to answer Chase's question._

"_Ranger and I had a loooong talk 'bout seven months ago." She reached for my beer, and without asking, took a long swallow. "Right 'fore he went on his mission, he came to me. We talked for hours. Well, actually I talked. He just threw in a word here and there."_

_She began to squirm on my lap and I swear to God if she didn't sit still soon, I was going to seem like I was teenager and embarrass myself. I tightened my arms around her waist and she finally stopped. Whew, that was close._

"_Anyway, Ranger and I decided that all we'd ever be is friends. He can't, or won't, allow someone to get close to him and he understands that I need more than just the occasional kiss and touch from him. So, we're friends and that's it."_

_I swear my heart started pounding so hard she was going to feel it. I couldn't believe she just gave me a glimmer of hope that I, Matthew Cooper, may have a chance at being more than friends with her._

Snapping out my thoughts, I opened my eyes again and stared at her. For some reason beyond my control, I reached a hand up to run it through her curls when I spotted it.

I froze… it was either that or sit up so fast that I'd risk launching sleeping beauty across the room. There, resting on my ring finger of my left hand, was a ring that was not there twenty-four hours ago. I began reciting the Lord's Prayer in my head because I knew that when the boss found out, I'd be dead meat. They may be just friends now, but he was still going to be very protective of her. I tried, once again, to search my memory for information, but before I could get too far, Stephanie, at least I'm still assuming it was Stephanie, began to wake up. I knew the instant she was fully awake as her body tensed.

"Morning," I whispered as I placed my hand in her curls.

Slowly looking up at me, I saw the most beautiful blue eyes, "Um, morning, Matthew."

When she said my given name, I couldn't help the twitch my dick gave. I just hope she didn't notice it and freak out. "Um, are we in a hotel room?" she whispered as she looked around.

"Yeah, I guess so."

I felt her squirm a little against me and then still, "Shit. Are we naked?" I didn't have to answer that one as she lifted the sheet a little and answered her own question. The next question, however, I was not prepared for. "Did we… um… you know."

I couldn't tell if she'd be upset with the answer or not, so I just nodded over to the night stand, "From the looks of the three empty condom wrappers, I'd say we did."

I felt her burry her face in my chest and hoped she wasn't regretting anything; I know I wasn't. "Steph?" I stroked her hair and prayed she'd not push me away. "Talk to me."

"I need to use the restroom," she said as she tried to grab the sheet. I stopped her. I knew she said she needed to use the restroom, but I didn't want her going, possibly finding a ring on her finger, and freaking out.

"Matthew, I need to go," she whispered. When she raised her hand to brush the hair from her face, I saw the matching ring on her finger.

"Steph, I know you said you need to go, but there is something I need to tell you before you get up from this bed." With her looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes, I didn't want to tell her this and have her never speak to me again, but I knew I had to. Slowly reaching out for her hand, I brought her left hand to my lips and kissed her ring finger.

I watched as her eyes followed my lips to her finger and knew the second she realized what was different. Her eyes were huge and her breathing seemed to have stopped. I waited for her to yell, scream, slap me, anything. But she didn't. What she did do, surprised me. She sat up, allowing the sheet the fall which gave me a glimpse of her breasts… yep, there goes the dick twitch again. Down boy!

"Um, Matthew, is this what I think it is?" she questioned while still looking at the ring. I think she forgot she was naked as the sheet was forgotten.

Placing my left hand on hers, I answered, "I think so. I seem to have the matching one."

"What happened last night? I remember going out with the girls, ditching a few clubs as they were boring. We ended up at Frankie's and ran into you and a few of the guys. I don't remember much other than dancing."

Here's the thing. How much do I tell her I remember? I remember her sitting on my lap, dancing with us guys, and then a make-out session with her in the hallway while waiting on the bathroom line for her to die down. After that, my mind is blank. I decided to be honest with her and watched as I told about the major kissing and groping.

Her hand went to her lips as if she were remembering the kiss. When she brushed her fingers across her bottom lip, her eyes closed, and she smiled. "You are a wonderful kisser," she said and then blushed. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was naked and grabbed the sheet. Damn, there goes my opportunity to see her breasts again. As I was about to groan, I realized she was leaning towards me. My heart sped up and all the blood rushed south as I began to anticipate her kissing me.

Her lips landed on mine and I swear to God, I heard her moan. It may have been me, but I'm betting it was her. I kissed her back with just as much passion as she was giving. Next thing I knew, we were horizontal and she was laying on top of me. _I swear I'm dreaming_ I thought to myself as I wound my fingers in her hair.

"Not dreaming, Matthew," she whispered in my ear. Fuck, now I'm picking up her habits of talking out loud. "I do still need to get up and use the restroom, but I'll be right back."

She rolled off me and strutted, naked mind you, to the bathroom. Just before she shut the door, she looked over her shoulder and smiled at me.

I have to be dreaming. There is no way in HELL I am really married to Stephanie Plum and she is so accepting of it. She's not freaked out, so that right there tells me this is a dream and I'll be waking up soon. I have to wake up, right? Either that… or I'm dead. Fuck!


	2. Chapter 2

_In Walked Love  
Chapter 2  
SapphireJ_

_Thank you all for the reviews! I really appreciate them. I'm trying to reply to everyone that I can... if you sign in as a guest or have pm's turned off, then here is your message: THANK YOU! Now, here is chapter 2. Just remember, this is a beta-free story, so all mistakes are my own. I'm not making any money off this story, just borrowing some awesome characters!_

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I heard the shower start, and knew that Stephanie would be a little while. As much as I wanted to jump up and join her in the shower, I knew I needed to let her have some time to herself. So, in an effort to think with the correct head and keep my ass in bed, I rolled over and grabbed my phone. Two missed messages. Tapping the button for voicemail, I waited.

"You have two new messages." No shit, I could see that! "First new message, sent today at two o'six am. Yo' Matt. The bar is clooooooosed dude. Where the fuck are you? Guys said we're buggin out in a few with or without yo azz. They also said to bring Bomber back; I'm assuming that means Stephanie. Call me!"

Well, that explains absolutely nothing. Chase is such a big help!

"Second new message, sent today at nine seventeen am. Mr. Cooper, this is Andreas at the White Wedding Chapel. I just wanted to inform you that your pictures and DVD are ready for pick-up at your convenience. Congratulations again."

"Well, I guess it's real and we can watch the DVD of it sometime. Wonder how drunk we were," I whispered, not wanting to say it loud enough that Steph heard. Realizing it was nearing eleven, I decided to order room service so we could eat and figure out what we were going to do.

As soon as I heard the shower shut off, there was a knock at the door. Slipping on my pants from last night, I answered the door and waited as the young man pushed in the cart loaded with coffee, orange juice, pancakes, bacon, eggs, bagels, waffles, and pastries. I wasn't sure what Steph would want to eat, so I wanted to have an assortment for her. I tipped the kid and locked up behind him.

Taking a deep breath, I walked to the bathroom door and knocked, "Steph, when you are ready, I have some breakfast out here waiting." I heard a muffled reply that sounded like just a minute, but I wasn't sure.

Looking around the room, I walked to the table near the bed and tossed the empty condom wrappers in the trash. As I watched them fall, I began to remember a little more about the previous night.

_Stephanie was three away from being able to use the ladies room, my tongue was down her throat, and her hands were roaming my chest when we heard, "Get a room you two." Sounded like a great idea to me. Looking at Stephanie, I saw the glimmer in her eyes and then something changed._

"_What's the matter, Steph?" I asked her. I didn't know what suddenly changed, but I wasn't going to force her to do something she didn't want to do… even if it meant I had to keep my lips to myself._

_The alcohol in her system definitely helped her with her shyness as she replied, "I agree. I'd like to get a room. However, I made myself a vow a few weeks ago."_

_I waited for her to finish, but it didn't look like she was going to. I tipped her chin up so I could see her sparkling eyes before I lowered my lips to her ear, "What was the vow?"_

_She mirrored my action and began whispering in my ear. Her breat,h caressing the sensitive part of my ear, sent shivers throughout my body and I moaned. "I vowed that the next time I slept with someone, he would be my husband. I said I wasn't having sex again until I'm married. It was a stupid vow; I don't even know why I made it. I have no desire to really get married, but I'm tired of sleeping with the wrong men and having my heart broken in the morning. Maybe that vow was a way to keep myself from sleeping with anyone."_

_I pulled my face away so I could see her clearly. I blame the alcohol level in my bloodstream for the next thing that came out of my mouth, "So, let's get married."_

Shit! What the fuck was I thinking? Steph and I got married just so we could have sex. I'm such a dead man when people find out. Fuck! I heard the bathroom door open and knew I needed to get myself under control or Steph would realize something was wrong. Before I could turn around, I felt her slender arms wrap around my waist and her head lay on my back. My hands automatically went down to hers and as I laced our fingers together, I realized she was wearing the hotel robe. I briefly wondered what she had on under it, but stopped that train of thought.

"I don't know how this happened," she whispered, "but I don't feel any regret." I heard her take a deep breath before she continued, "Do you?"

Oh hell. She had to ask that. How do I tell her that while I don't regret being married, I do regret how it happened and the fact that neither of us remember it? I must have been silent for too long because she pulled away. "It's okay. I understand. I'm sure we can get it annulled or something. No one has to know."

"Steph," I said as I turned and saw her heading to the bed. She leaned down and reached for discarded dress. I knew she was upset, but I wasn't sure what she was going to do.

"No, don't worry about it. It was a drunken mistake. I get it. We got married, had sex, and now we get divorced. No big deal." I could hear the hurt in her voice and wanted to erase it. I reached out for her, but she dodged me and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Steph, you don't understand. You have it all wrong." I tried pleading to get her to listen to me, but she shut me out. I threw my clothes on and sat on the bed, waiting her out.

Fifteen minutes later, Stephanie emerged from the bathroom. I could tell she'd been crying and had tried to cover it up. I stood up and walked to her. "Steph, will you please listen to me?"

"I can't," I heard her whisper. "I can't listen to you tell me that it was a mistake."

I grabbed her shoulders and held her so she couldn't move. "Dammit, Stephanie, you are going to listen to me! Do you understand?" I hadn't meant to yell, but she was testing my patience. I saw her nod, so I continued, "I was not going to say this was a mistake."

I led her over to the chair in the corner of the room and pushed for her to sit down. Kneeling down between her legs, I took her hands in mine and poured out my heart to her. "I've been in love with you since I first talked to you. You treated me like a normal person, not someone to play with."

As she sat there listening to me, I saw doubt cross her beautiful face before some other emotion settled in. I wasn't sure what it was, but I kept talking. "That first time I saw you step off the elevator onto the fifth floor, I watched those monitors with such an intensity that I was sure they were going to start smoking." I laughed a little as I told her, "Cal punched me in the shoulder and said to' keep those thoughts to yourself'. I asked him what thoughts and he replied 'the same thoughts we all have. She's Ranger's woman.'"

Stephanie tensed up when I mentioned that and I wanted to kick my own ass. I hadn't meant to mention Ranger. I placed my head on her lap and took a deep breath; she was still sitting here listening, so I had to go on, but when I looked up, I was shocked to see tears in her eyes.

"If you've loved me for that amount of time, what took so long?"

"I was worried that you'd just see me as some young ass punk who thought he was all that. It wasn't until you and I started hanging out the past seven months that I realized I might have a chance. Last night, when you finally spilled about your relationship with Ranger was the first time I'd heard you say anything that cemented what we all were beginning to wonder."

Now was the hard part; answering her question from earlier without her bolting from the room. "I need you to continue listening to me and try to understand what I'm about to say, okay?" With her nod, I grabbed both her hands in mine and looked in her eyes. "I do not regret marrying you. The only thing I do regret is the reason why we married and the fact that neither of us remember it. I always thought my wedding would be a memory I'd treasure forever."

"You remember more about last night than you told me?" she questioned with sadness.

"While you were taking a shower, I cleaned up a little. While I was throwing away the condom wrappers, I remembered a little more." Bringing her hands to my lips, I kissed each before continuing, "Seems I remember you mentioning a vow you'd made yourself."

She stared at me for a few moments before a beautiful red tinted her cheeks, "Shit, I forgot about that." Pulling her bottom lip into her mouth, she nibbled on it for a few and all I could think was I wanted to be the one nibbling on her lip. Just before I leaned up to do just that, she spoke again, "So, the only reason we got married was so we could have sex and I not feel guilty, yet here we are the next morning and I'm still getting my heart broken."

"Why do you think your heart is getting broken?" I asked. "I'm still here. I've not left. I don't plan on leaving. I don't want a divorce or annulment… unless you want one. I won't force you to stay married to me." Wow, what the hell was the feeling in my chest cavity? Why the hell did it feel like my heart was being ripped apart? I'd never given my heart over to anyone before out of fear of something like this happening.

"Because, we only got married to have sex. We've had sex, and I have a feeling that since neither of us can remember it, I wasn't that great. I can imagine you've had better and now you want to move on."

"Bullshit!" I said a lot louder than I intended to. "No, I don't remember it either, but I do know that the feeling I had when I woke up this morning was like nothing I'd ever experienced before." I framed her face with my hands to be sure I had her full attention. "I've never been around for the morning after. I've always snuck out in the middle of the night. This morning, when I first woke up and realized I was your pillow," I said with a smile, "I didn't want time to move. I wanted to stay there, with your head on my chest, my arms around you, and just relax."

"Where do we go from here, Matthew? What do we tell people? I can just go up to my family and say, 'Hey, I got married because I really wanted to have an orgasm that involved more than myself and my shower.' My mother would disown me"

"I've not really thought about where we go, but it really isn't anyone's business why we got married. Hell, we don't have to tell anyone yet if you don't want to. We can take some time and see how you feel in a few days. I don't care if we tell everyone now or never tell a soul." Well, I wanted to shout it from the rooftop, but if she didn't want anyone to know yet, I wasn't going to push.

I watched her as she thought through what she wanted to do and finally saw a smile on her face. Brushing her hair out of the way so I could see her eyes, I asked, "What's the smile for?"

"Well," she replied, "if we are going to stay married, then we need to learn more about each other, correct?" I nodded not knowing where she was going with this, but willing to go where she lead. "I have a question that I've always wanted to ask you, but never wanted to offend so I held back."

"You never have to hold anything back with me. I promise to answer any of your questions with honest answers. There is nothing in my life that I have to keep secret." I knew that was one of her biggest wishes; someone who would be open and honest with her. I had that capability and hoped like hell she'd allow me the chance to be the one for her.

"Why do they call you Binkie?"

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_So, a few of you were correct with your first guess! What happens next? Anything you'd like to have happen? I'm going chapter by chapter here... nothing written up ahead of time, just typing it out as I go. So, if you have a suggestion or request, let me know and I'll see if I can work it in!_


	3. Chapter 3

_In Walked Love  
Chapter 3  
SapphireJ_

Thank you so much for the reviews and messages. I love them all! Here is chapter 3... we'll be back in Trenton soon... and still get to know more about Binkie.

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I thought I was prepared for any question she threw at me, but when she asked why I was called Binkie, I lost it and started laughing. That was nowhere near what I thought her first question would be. Looking up in her eyes, I could see she was beginning to think I was laughing at her, so I stopped and answered, "I'm not laughing at you. I just never thought that would be the first question you asked me." Before I could go any further, I heard her stomach let out a huge roar. Standing up, I reached for her hand, "Shall we get some food while we talk?"

Standing up, Stephanie leaned into my side and allowed me to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to eat here or go out for food? I'm sure the food is cold now."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to let the food spoil."

"Don't worry about it. I'd rather get out of here and get some sunshine anyway." I walked us to the door, opened it, and motioned for her to go first, "Shall we?" Pulling the door behind us, we walked hand in hand to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. As we stood in the elevator, I pulled Stephanie to me and we stood there face to face. I loved looking in her eyes and prayed I was able to do this every day for the rest of my life.

"Hey, what do you want to do tonight? Stay here or head back to Trenton?" I asked before I realized I wasn't sure either of us had a vehicle.

"Don't you have to work?" she asked quietly.

"No, I'm off this weekend. I don't have to be back until Monday morning. What about you?" The doors opened and she spun around to walk out first. My eyes landed on her ass and I couldn't tear them away; my God that woman has a great lookin' ass.

"I'm free until Monday as well. My skips were all caught up yesterday," she informed me with a smile.

Grabbing her hand, I towards the door and heard her phone start ringing. She reached in her pocket and fished it out. When she looked at the screen and scowled, I figured it was her mother, but when she answered, I was wrong. "Hey Les, what's up?"

I swear my heart stopped beating for a moment. I knew her and Les were close, but I'd never asked either of them how close they were. I knew he loved her; hell more than half the guys were in love with her. I knew jealousy would do me no good, so I needed to get this figured out and fast.

"No, I'm not in Trenton. Still in Princeton. Um, you know, I'm not sure if I have a car or not," she laughed. "Binkie? Yeah, I know where he is." She held the phone out for me and I took it from her.

"Whazzup?"

"Dude, are you there _with_ Steph?" he asked.

"Yes." I knew the one word answers were going to piss him off, but I wasn't willing to offer more at the moment; Steph and I hadn't talked about if we were telling anyone yet.

He lowered his voice before he spoke again, "Did you spend the night with her?"

I could hear an edge to his voice and then I really began to wonder what they were to each other. I guess, once again, I took too long to answer, "Dude if you slept with her last night, I'm going to kick your ass."

Stephanie must have heard Les yell the last part, because all of a sudden the phone was yanked out of my hand and I heard my wife putting Lester in his place. "You listen to me Lester Santos. Binkie and I are grown adults. We can do whatever we want and you cannot stop us. You will not lay a hand on him for any reason. Do you understand me?" I'm assuming he agreed as she was suddenly smiling. "I'll be sure to stop in when I return to Trenton. Tell everyone hi for me."

She hung up, placed her phone back in her pocket, and smiled up at me, "Where to?" I just shook my head, smiled, grabbed her hand, and left the building. Mental note to self: Do NOT get on wife's bad side!

Walking down the sidewalk, I realized where we were and knew of a wonderful little sidewalk café a few blocks away, so I led us there. After we sat down and ordered, Steph looked at me, "Okay, time to spill."

I leaned back in my chair and relaxed, "How old do you think I am?"

She sat there and stared at my face for a few, "Well, I'd guess around twenty-seven." I shook my head. "Oh shit, please don't tell me you're younger that that!" _I'm a freakin' cougar_, she said out loud without meaning to. I laughed and shook my head again. "I give," she replied.

"I'm thirty-seven." I watched her eyes widen at my statement as she leaned back in her chair.

"No freakin' way. You so do not look a day past thirty."

"I am. I've always looked younger than I am. I don't know why, but that's just the way it is. When I was eighteen, I walked into the recruiter's office and signed up for the Air Force. The recruiter took one look at me and said, 'Son, I don't know what trouble you are in at home, but you've still got about three years until you can sign up'. I stood toe-to-toe with him and replied, "Sir, if you will look at my driver's license, birth certificate, and my passport, you will see that I am eighteen.' He looked at the paperwork five times before he looked at me and smiled."

I took a drink of my water and noticed how Stephanie hung onto every word I said. She really was one of a kind and she was mine! "He shook my hand, signed my paperwork, looked at me and said, 'Welcome to the Air Force, Binkie.' I stood there for a moment before I had the courage to ask him about the name. His reply was, 'Son, with your baby-face, I see a lot of names for you. Figured if I gave you one right off the bat. Now when people ask you can tell them your name is Binkie and they'll leave you alone.' I wasn't sure about that, but figured I'd give it a try."

Stephanie sat up and took a sip of her coke, "So, how many names did people come up with for you?"

"A lot! I won't lie, there were a lot of names, some I'll never repeat, but honestly, I've gotten use to Binkie. At first, I hated it… made me sound like someone's pacifier, but after about three weeks of hearing it all the time, I grew to like it and have a hard time answering to anything else."

"Which would you rather I call you?" she asked with a slight hesitation.

I stood up, walked to her side of the table, sat down, and reached for her hands. "Honey, you can call me anything you'd like, just don't call me late to dinner."

She snorted at that, "I doubt that will ever happen… I don't cook."

Our lunch was placed in front of us and Stephanie moaned at the sight of it. She ordered Chicken Fettuccini with extra sauce. I decided to take a page from her book and ordered the same thing. As I took my first bite, I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips. I've never been one to enjoy food that much, but then again, maybe I've just been eating the wrong foods. I glanced at Stephanie and saw a smirk on her face. She was enjoying this.

We finished the meal in silence, but kept a constant touch… either our legs touching or a hand on each other. I've never been a touchy-feely person, but with Steph, it just seemed natural. When we were done, I paid the bill and we decided to walk to the White Wedding Chapel and pick up our souvenirs.

We came to a bakery and Stephanie stopped walking to look in the window. I realized then that I needed to go inside. "Stay here for a minute?" I asked her. She nodded and stared at the donuts in the window. When I walked inside, I was greeted by an older woman with flour splattered on her face.

"What can I do for you?" she asked as she wiped her hands on her apron.

As I smiled I told her, "I was made the happiest man on earth last night when I became married to the woman I've loved for years." It was the truth; I have loved Steph for years, we just weren't a couple. "As we were walking by, I realized we didn't have a cake; it was kind of a spur of the moment wedding. I was wondering what you had available."

The lady smiled at me and led me to the showcase on the end, "What are her favorite flavors?"

Damn, what were her favorite? "Well, she loves Boston Crème donuts, chocolate, Pineapple Upside Down, and birthday cake. Any suggestions?"

"What about you? Your favorites?"

"I'm not picky. I like just about any flavor of cake." Yes, I love cake almost as much as Steph; I just don't get to eat it as much.

She reached into the showcase, pulled out a two tier cake, and boxed it up. "Here you go. I just finished this about an hour ago. I'm sure she will love it; it's a Boston Crème wedding cake." I just knew that was perfect cake for Steph. "How much?"

"On the house. A wedding gift."

"Ma'am, I can't do that. I have to,"

"No. This is my shop and I want you to take this cake and enjoy it with your new bride. Congratulations! Now go and enjoy!"

I thanked her again, grabbed the box, and went outside to Steph. "What's that?" she asked as soon as I stepped out.

"A wedding gift for us for later," I replied as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulled her to me, and kissed her temple. After we picked up our pictures and DVD, we headed back to the hotel. Before we headed up to our room, we stopped at the front desk. I needed to make sure we could still have our room for the night; I wasn't sure how many nights we checked in for last night. We were told the room was ours until the next morning. Great, looks like we thought ahead!

Heading up to our room, I sat the cake on the table, and turned to Steph. She was standing at the foot of the bed and seemed lost in thought. I walked over to her, wrapped my arms around her, and squeezed, "Steph? You okay?"

"I'm fine, Matthew," she replied as she leaned back against me.

"Then what's on your mind? You look lost."

"I guess I was just realizing that I don't know much about you and you don't know much about me. It scares me to think that when we find things out about each other that we aren't going to like something and it will tear us apart."

"Honey, I will tell you anything and everything you want to know about me and my life. If I tell you something that you don't like, let me know and we can work to figure things out. I'm sure there is nothing you could tell me about you that would change how I feel about you."

She turned in my arms and kissed me softly. "Tell me something?"

"What?" I asked her while running my fingers down her jaw.

"Anything. Just something about you that I don't know. I want to know all about you," she replied as she leaned into my hand.

"Well, my birthday is December thirteenth, I have an older brother and two younger ones. My parents have been married for forty years this year. I was in the Air Force for six years before I left."

She looked up at me and smiled, "I met one of your younger brothers last night, didn't I?"

Smiling back at her, I nodded, "Yes, you met Michael. He's new to Rangeman; just signed on yesterday. He goes by Chase."

She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. I was comfortable sitting, so I walked to the side of the bed and l aid on my side before patting the bed. She took the hint and crawled up next to me. I propped my head up on my hand and looked down at her. "My older brother is three minutes older than me."

Her eyes widened at that admission. "You have a twin?"

"I do. Martin is always telling everyone he is the oldest. The baby of the family, Malcolm, just turned twenty-one last month. Michael is twenty-nine."

"Wow. Do your parents like the letter "M" or something?"

I laughed, "Yes, they do. My mother is Martha and my father is Marshall."

"Huh, never knew a family that kept everyone with the same first letter."

"Well, it's a little more than that," I told her and watched as she began to look confused. "We all have the same initials."

"What?"

"Yeah. Marshal Allen, Martha Alice, Martin Andrew, Matthew Adrian, Michael Aaron, and Malcolm Anthony."

_Wow, wonder what our kids names will be_ she said… I'm assuming it was to herself so I didn't comment, but that did make me think of the future.

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Leave me a review!


	4. Chapter 4

In Walked Love  
Chapter 4  
SapphireJ

Thank you all for the reviews and alerts. I've tried to respond to every review... if I missed you, I'm sorry. Here is chapter 4... we're back in Trenton... what can go wrong?

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Stephanie and I spent all night last night just talking. We learned so much about each other. Like, take for instance, her favorite color is Grey; like my eyes. My favorite color is Gold; like our wedding bands. I learned that she loves to run her fingers through my hair when we are laying and talking. I found that I can't keep my hands off her when we are close. I have to be in some sort of contact with her.

I looked over at my wife sleeping next to me and I smiled. We agreed that, while we aren't keeping the marriage from anyone, we aren't going to just blurt it out yet either. We are wearing our bands and will tell people when we are ready. If someone notices and asks, we won't lie. We sort of have a bet going on. I say no one will notice; at least not the guys at work. We don't tend to look at people's hands. Steph, on the other hand, says that everyone will see the bands the second we walk in the building. The wager? A full body massage to the winner given by the loser. I can't wait to collect my massage.

I reach over and brush her hair off her face; I hate not being able to see her face. I discovered sometime over the last few months that I love looking at her when she sleeps. It has a calming effect on me. Yes, I've watched her sleep many times. Ever since Ranger took off for his latest mission, Steph and I have been spending a lot of time together. I think it started out as her not wanting to be by herself and I was depressed at the time. She sensed something was wrong with me and started talking one day. We went to lunch, rounded up some of her skips, and then did dinner together. Ever since that night of just talking, we vowed to spend at least two or three nights a week just talking over dinner.

I was slowly falling deeper in love with her but doubted she felt the same about me. I knew some of what had gone on between her, Joe, and Ranger, but never the full extent. Last night Steph told me that while Ranger admitted to being in love with her, he also told her that a relationship with him would never be conducive. He has too many enemies and he'd always be looking over his shoulder. He has no plans on retiring from the government at this point in his life and he'd hate to have something happen to her just because of his life.

They have agreed to be friends; and of course Ranger offered his body anytime she wanted it, but she has assured me that will no longer be an option. I love my wife and I trust her, but I will be having a talk with Ranger when he returns.

Leaning over, I gently kiss Steph on the forehead and she stirs. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulled me closer and covered my lips with hers. When her tongued traced my lips, I moaned and couldn't resist opening to her. "Good morning, Steph," I whispered as my lips skimmed across her neck.

"Mmm, morning, Matthew. How long have you… ahhhhhhh, God that feels good," she moaned when I nibbled where her neck and shoulder met. I loved the sounds I was able to pull from her and wanted to find more ways to make them happen.

"Tell me again," I whispered in her ear before nipping the lobe.

"Tell you what?" she questioned.

"You told me last night when you began to fall in love with me; I want to hear it again." I loved hearing the story last night and just knew it would be one of my all-time favorites.

Curling up next to me, and placing her head on my chest, Steph began retelling me the story. "Well, I had gone back to the bonds office to drop off my receipt for Mooner. As soon as I walked in, my car went BOOM! I saw a black SUV pull up and Tank stepped out, along with Lester. They checked on me and left after the cops left. Of course, the cops didn't leave until they had exchanged money!" God, she hated when they did that; I really wanted to put a stop to that. "Just as I was debating calling my dad to pick me up, I saw another black SUV pull up. You and Zip walked in. Zip went to Connie for files, and you sat on the couch next to me."

"You asked if I was okay and I nodded. I remember you didn't believe me, bumped shoulders with me, and asked if I wanted to go to dinner. You and Zip dropped me off and you came back about two hours later. I think it was that night that I realized that you really cared for me."

"How?" I couldn't stop from asking. I wanted to ask last night, but didn't.

"When you looked at me, Matthew, I saw more than friendship in your eyes. I saw that you really cared. Then we started hanging out more and more, and each time you'd send me a text or call me, my heart would speed up. I really looked forward to spending time with you."

I laid there running my hand up and down my wife's back. I loved holding her. I didn't want the time to end, but knew it was inevitable. "Honey, you know we have to head back to Trenton today. I have to work in the morning."

"I know. I just wish we could stay here for a few more days. I like this alone time with you," she said as she began kissing my chest. When her tongue slid over my nipple, I couldn't help the breath I sucked in.

One thing led to another and we didn't check out of the hotel for a few more hours. Since neither of us had a vehicle, we had to call Chase to come get us. It was either him or Lester. Honestly, I didn't want to deal with Lester right now. I still needed to figure out what the relationship between him and Steph was. If I had to take him to the mats, I would; I just hope it didn't come to that. Unfortunately, Chase wasn't available. He and Lester were on a stakeout; so Hector came to pick us up.

On the ride back, Steph was quiet and I was beginning to wonder if she'd fallen asleep. Looking over at her, I could see she was awake, just lost in deep thought. Knowing Hector didn't understand English, I took a chance to talk to her, "Steph, honey, what's on your mind?"

She looked in the rearview mirror at Hector to see if he was watching; his eyes were glued to the road and she nodded. "I'm just nervous about going back home."

That made a little sense but not much. "Why?"

"What happens when people begin to find out we got married? There are going to be a ton of questions that I'm not ready to answer."

I could see the tears threatening to fall. As much as I wanted to hold her to me, I knew she'd probably fight me on it. "Honey, if people begin to ask, we will tell them whatever you want."

"Yeah? How about this one… what do we say when they ask why we got married? Why we never told anyone we were dating in the first place? Why we snuck off to get married and not tell anyone?"

Shit, she had me there. "We could always tell them the truth." She looked at me like I'd grown three heads. "Seriously, do you think if we told them the truth, that they'd believe it to be true?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know!" God, I really wanted to pull her to me. Maybe Hector would think I was just comforting her and not say anything. I took a chance and reached for her. As soon as my hand touched her shoulder, she leaned over and placed her head in my lap. Running my fingers through her hair like I'd done several times in the past forty-eight hours, I felt her relax. A few moments later, I could tell she'd fallen asleep. Looking up, I saw Hector watching the mirror. At first I wondered if he understood what was being said or he was just checking traffic. When he looked back to his side mirrors, I figured he was just checking to be sure no one was tailing us; old habits are hard to break.

We pulled into the garage and I nudged Steph a little. "Honey, we're back at Rangeman. Time to wake up."

"More sleep, Matthew. Please," she moaned. I knew we'd stayed up late last night, and as much as I wanted to let her sleep, I knew she needed to wake up before the guys came down and started questioning her.

"Not right now, Honey. We're at the office and this door is about to ripped open in four point five seconds." She sat up and looked around. She saw Hector turned around from the front seat and smiled. He looked at her, smiled, and said, "Bang, bang." Laughing, he slid from the truck and headed to the elevator.

"You think he knows?" she asked with panic in her voice.

"I doubt it. He doesn't speak English and he never gave away anything on the drive while we were talking. I think we're safe." When I looked at the elevator, I saw Chase, Lester, Zip, Tank, and Bobby stepping off. Sometimes I wonder how long the elevator will hold-up before it crashes to the basement. "Heads up, honey."

Stephanie looked out the window and let out a small whimper. Before I had the chance to tell her it would be okay, the door was ripped open and she was pulled out by Lester. He had his arms wrapped around her and was aiming a kiss for her lips. Before the growl could escape me, I saw Steph turned her head so his kiss landed on her cheek. "Beautiful, I missed you. Where have you been?"

"I was on a mini-vacation, Les," she said as she hugged him. Before anything else could be said, Tank nodded for me to follow him. _Shit, does he know somehow?_

"What's up?" I asked as we entered the stairwell.

"I need you on a stakeout tonight. Got a lead on a major skip; just have tonight as intel states he's buggin' out in the morning."

Shit. I really wanted to stay with Steph tonight, but now it looks like that isn't going to happen. "When and where?"

"Stark. Need you on-line at twenty-one hundred hours. You'll be with Zip. Lester and Chase are second. Zero and Bobby and third."

"I'll be there." I knew it was going to be a long ass night; stakeout and then I'm on duty tomorrow morning. Fuck, when do I get time to be with my wife again? I headed to my apartment and sent a message to Steph's phone. _In apart. Come c me when u r free._ Ten minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it, she stepped in, shut and locked the door behind her, and then attacked me in the kitchen. Guess now is as good of time as any to christen the place.

Rolling over, I looked at the clock. _Shit!_ I must have said that out loud because Steph sat up and looked at me.

"What's wrong, Matthew?" she asked as she clutched the sheet to her.

"Sorry, Honey. I didn't mean to wake you. I didn't plan on us falling asleep; I didn't set the alarm and I'm supposed to be on Stark in forty-five. I don't want to, but I need to get up and get ready. You," I said as I kissed her, "stay here for the night, please."

"Won't that cause questions?"

"I'll just tell everyone that were you exhausted and passed out at my place. I didn't have the heart to kick you out."

"Okay," she said as she leaned in for another kiss. "Be safe tonight. I don't like you guys going to Stark. It scares me."

"I'll be fine. Hopefully, I'll be able to crawl back in bed with you shortly." I kissed her once again and slid from the bed. Once I was dressed, I kissed her forehead again and headed for the garage. Slipping into the SUV with Zip, I got my game face on and was ready to take this fucker down. Evidently, Zip didn't get the memo on how I prepared for a takedown and he opened his mouth.

"So, I noticed Bomber didn't leave your place earlier."

"And?"

"Any, what's going on?"

_More than we're ready to tell you about._ "Nothing. She was exhausted after we ate dinner and she crashed. I didn't have the heart to wake her up, make her go home, and back to sleep, so she's crashing at my place for now. Problem?"

"Nah, man. Just wondering if you found out any info that the rest of us might not have. You know, regarding Bomber, Joe, Ranger, and anyone else."

"Nothing that you need to know. Now, shut the fuck up and get ready to kick some ass." I swear he talks more than a girl! I just wanted to get through this takedown and go back to my bed; at least for a few hours before I have to be on duty.

We pulled up to the address and re-grouped. Bobby and Zero took the back door while Zip and I took the front. Chase and Les were just there in case the jackass decided to run. With a size thirteen to the door, Zip kicked it in and we found the ass wipe screwing around with a vacuum; what the hell he was doing, I don't want to know, but his pants were down and he was trying to feed his limp dick into the hose. Zip froze and started laughing. I didn't have time to screw around, so I slapped the cuffs on him and called for Bobby and Zero to help haul him to the SUV.

Bobby and Zero took him to the station while the rest of us headed back to RangeMan. I was so ready to crawl in bed with my wife, but of course the powers that be had other plans for me.


	5. Chapter 5

In Walked Love  
Chapter 5  
SapphireJ

_Thank you for all the reviews; I really appreciate them. I'm behind on answering reviews for chapter 4, but will get to those in a few moments. I'm not making money, just borrowing some amazing characters for our enjoyment._

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As I entered the stairwell, Hector was leaning against the wall waiting for me. I nodded at him and tried to slip past, but he put a hand on my arm and turned me to face him. Now, I've never been scared of anyone in my life, but this is Hector. Former gang member, non-military, and doesn't play by the rules. The look in his eyes told me I should be very afraid of him, but I don't know why.

"Hola," he said with a tight voice.

"Hola, Hector," I replied hoping that he'd just let me go so I could crawl in bed.

He looked at me for a few seconds before doing something I would have never thought him to do. "I know secret. You and Bonita marry. You no hurt her or I hurt you."

Holy fucking shit! When the fuck did he start speaking and understanding English? Fuck! That little shit was listening in to our conversation on the way home earlier and played as though he was just driving. Before I had time to respond, Hector was out the door and I was standing there confused. I decided to head up stairs and take a shower, giving myself time to process what happened and figure out how to tell my wife we've been found out.

I walked through the bedroom door and saw Steph curled up with my pillow. Not wanting to disturb her yet, I slipped into the shower and then brushed my teeth. Crawling in behind her, I smiled when she scooted back to me and whispered, "You're home." I've lived at RangeMan since I started working here and had thought of it as home, but just realized that it was only a place for me to sleep. Home was where ever Steph was.

My alarm went off four hours later… hours before I was ready for it to. I didn't want to leave the warmth of my wife wrapped around me. I knew I needed to tell her about Hector before I started work, but I also knew I had some time, so I headed down to the gym for my morning workout.

When I entered the gym, I saw Zip, Zero, Junior, Hal, and Lester. Hal and Lester were in the ring while the other three were doing weights. I jumped on the treadmill and started my eight miles. I was going over the DVD of my wedding in my head and didn't hear Junior step up beside me.

"How was the weekend?" he asked with a smile on his face.

What the fuck was he smiling about? "Fine," I answered, hoping he'd let me finish my workout in peace and quiet. Nope, no such fucking luck.

"Man, what happened to you Friday night? You took Bomber to the bathroom and then disappeared." I looked at him and shrugged. "We saw Steph go to the bar, say something to Connie, and then she walked out. We never saw you again."

"What does it matter? Are you my father?" I was beginning to think Steph was right and the guys were going to figure out we were married and I was going to have to give her a massage. Shit, I already owe her the massage because Hector knows… wonder if that counts since he found out by us talking about it.

Junior must have realized I wasn't going to talk to him anymore as he put his ear-buds in and began running. Just as I reached for my towel, I saw Junior looking at my hand. He didn't say anything and quickly went back to running. Wonder if he noticed.

When I got back to my room, I took a quick shower and figured it was time to wake Steph before I had to be upstairs, so began my morning ritual of waking her up with kisses everywhere. "God, I love waking up like that," I heard her purr just moments before my lips descended on hers.

Once I was sure she was thoroughly awake, I pulled her to me, "I need to tell you something."

"Hmm?"

"We've been found out by one of the guys."

She tipped her head to the side and looked at me, "Who? How?" She didn't seem upset, so I guess she was expecting to be found out; just wait until I tell her how!

"Hector."

"He saw the ring?" she questioned as she played with my band.

"No. He found out on the way home yesterday." She stared at me and I kept talking. "Seems he has a secret that no one knows. He heard us talking on the way home and he understood every word."

"But he doesn't speak… oh shit. You mean he speaks English?" I nodded. "And he understood every word we said?" Another nod. "That little sneak!"

Stephanie flopped back on the bed and moaned. Thinking she was upset about something, I laid next to her, "What's wrong, Honey?"

"Nothing is wrong. I was just dreaming of the massage you owe me and wonderful it will feel." She smiled the best smile I'd ever seen on her and I told myself right then that if a massage a day would put that smile on her face, I'd do it.

I leaned over and kissed her, "I need to be upstairs in fifteen or I'd give you your massage right now."

She leaned up and captured my lips with hers, tracing her tongue across my bottom lip and I couldn't stop the growl that erupted from me as my fingers tangled in her hair. Just as I was attempting to take things farther, she remembered what I had said. "Get going so you're not late. I don't want you to be in trouble with the boss. I'll be up later."

"What are you doing today?" I asked as I nipped her neck.

"I'm going to check in at the office and see if there are any skips. If there are, I'll either go after them or do some research. If not, I'll head to my apartment and clean. You are welcome to come over when you're off work. What all do you have planned for the day?"

"I'm with Zip again today. We've got a takedown set for fifteen hundred. Other than that, I'm in the office catching up on paperwork from last night and last week. I have two hours of monitors from noon until fourteen hundred. I should be done as soon as the skip is at the station. Hopefully, I can be to your apartment by seventeen hundred."

"Sounds good. We can do Chinese for dinner?" That sounded good to me so I nodded, kissed her again, and removed myself from the bed. As I tucked my gun into the waistband at my back, I heard a moan and turned around to see her eyes glossed over.

"What's the matter?" I asked with a smile.

"Do you have any idea how hot and sexy you look right now?" she replied as she crawled to the end of the bed.

Taking a step toward her, I smirked, "Nope, tell me."

"Dammit, I don't have time to tell you. You need to get going or you're going to be late." She grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her, "I love you. Be careful today and I'll see you in a few hours." The kiss she gave me was one that had me wishing I didn't have to go to work but could crawl back in bed with her and show her how much I love her for hours.

In the end, I nodded, kissed her forehead and headed upstairs. I knew she'd not step on the floor today; everyone would be able to tell she had an interesting weekend. Wonder what the girls will say to her.

When I opened the door to the fifth floor, I saw the guys standing around the monitors so I headed in to see what the deal was. "What's up?"

Chase looked at me and pointed to the fifth screen on the third row, "Looks like some punks are trying to break-in to the jewelry store down the street. Cal and Hector just headed out to stop them." Oh shit! This ought to be good. I stood there watching the screen with the rest of them. We saw Cal come around the corner from the south, while Hector had climbed up the dumpster to get on the roof. He was hanging over the edge where the kids couldn't see him yet.

One of the kids picked the lock on the door and before the door was opened, Hector dropped down in front of them, scaring them half to death. He grabbed two of them while the third one took off running; only he didn't get very far. Cal stepped in front of him and, when he reached for the kid, the kid turned around and we could see some very wet pants. The two that Hector had a hold of had their pants hanging below their asses; something I'll never fucking understand. Either get a belt, or buy pants that fucking fit! No one wants to see your ass hanging out as you walk by.

I knew the pants thing always bothered Hector, so I wasn't surprised by what he did. He handed one of the punk to Cal so he wouldn't take off running, turned to the one he still had a hold of, and pulled his pants all the way down. The kid had on Mickey Mouse boxers and we all laughed. Cal switched kids with Hector and Hector treated the other kid with the same kindness. This kid had a little more embarrassing moment; he wasn't wearing anything under his pants. Once the pants were disposed of, we saw Cal and Hector load the kids into the SUV and they were off to the police department.

I went to my cube and started in on the paperwork. I was about half way through when Les knocked on the frame. "Hey," I said with a nod.

"Got a few?" he responded as he sat in the chair across from my desk.

"What's up?"

"What happened with you and Beautiful this weekend? How did you two end up spending time together the whole weekend?"

I took a sip from my water bottle and thought about what to tell him. Tossing the empty bottle in the trash, I looked over at him, "What are your feelings for her?"

"She's my best friend. I don't want to see her hurt; she's been hurt enough already by the cop and boss."

"I don't plan on ever hurting her. What she and I have is new, but we both plan on seeing where it goes."

He shifted in his chair and finally ran his hand through his spikes, "Look, I don't want to be an ass here, but I'm putting you on notice. If I see you hurt her in any way, your ass is mine. I know she told me to leave you alone over the weekend, but this is between you and me. I won't watch her get hurt again." With that he stood up and left my cube.

Before I could get back to my paperwork, it was monitor time. _I fucking hate the monitors_! I walked in and relieved Zero and Bobby. Zip knew the rules for monitors, so even though the two hours took _forever _to pass, at least it was done in silence.

I'd not seen or heard from Steph since I left the apartment this morning and, as much as I hated to think about it, I missed her. So, I pulled up her tracker just to see where she was. Looked like she was over at Mooner's place; he must have missed his date again. At least I could see she was safe and get back to work myself.

It was nearing time for the takedown, so Zip and I loaded up and put on our flak vests. On the way over, we discussed the routine. "You want front or back door?" he asked.

Looking at the dude's picture, I questioned him, "You think you can take him if he bolts out the door?" I saw the nod. "Well, you want the chase or capture?" If you wanted the chase, you took the back door – the skips always go for the back door. If you wanted the capture, you took the front. If you were quick enough, you could catch him before he made it to the back door.

"I'm in the mood for a chase today," Zip replied.

We parked a few houses down from Zelinski's house; he was wanted for drug trafficking to minors and police brutality. We knew if he was roughed up a little, no one would say a word; I could tell Zip was itching for this guy to run just so he could release some tension; guess he didn't get laid over the weekend.

We quietly snuck up to Zelinski's house and I took the front. I waited until Zip beeped the phone that he was in place before I knocked on the door. A woman, somewhere in her forties, opened the door. "Can I help you?"

"I'm from Plum Bail Bonds and I need to see Ryan Zelinksi."

"I'm sorry, he's not here. He's not been here in weeks," she said as she tried to close the door a little more. What she didn't count on was that I could see in the mirror on the wall and saw Ryan making a break for the back door.

"Head's up," I yelled as I ran around the house just in time to see Zip take off after Zelinski. Before Zelinski made it to the fence, Zip had him on the ground and cuffed behind his back. "Nice," I told him as I helped him get Zelinski up.

We drove to the station to drop off the creep and I noticed no one I knew was working. Looks like they are all in a meeting. I got the body receipt and we headed back to RangeMan. It was time to get out of the uniform and head over to see my wife. I still can't get use to saying that! When we arrived on the fifth floor, I knew something was different. Glancing in the control room, I saw Chase and Bones on montors.

"Where's everyone?" I asked. I knew Bones only worked to fill in when we were understaffed and Chase was too new to be left on monitors alone. That should have told me something right then.

Chase looked over at me and shrugged, "They're all at the hospital."

"Who got hurt?" I checked my phone but didn't see any alerts come across. Usually when someone was hurt, there was a RangeMan wide alert that went out. For some reason, nothing was sent this time.

Bones, without looking away from the montor bank, replied, "Steph. She was in a pretty bad car accident."

I saw the dots dancing in front of me but couldn't do anything… I felt my world was about to go black.


	6. Chapter 6

In Walked Love  
Chapter 6  
SapphireJ

Wow...I must say I guess you didn't like the ending of the last chapter ;) Just a fair warning... I do love cliff hangers every now and again... so expect more sometime ;) Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, alerts, and messages. I really appreciate it. This story is just kind of making it's own way as I type. I'm not really sure where it will go or where it will end... but I guarantee a fun adventure on the way! Not mine... all her's... just my fun ;)

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"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked as I grabbed the back of Chase's chair as I didn't feel my legs were worthy of holding me up any longer.

Bones looked at me, "I said, Stephanie was in a car accident. Everyone is at the hospital."

When I heard it again I took off running for the stairs. I don't remember the drive, but suddenly I was in the emergency room waiting area. When I looked up, there was a wall of black. I marched over and tried to think of who my victim was going to be; I looked for Hector, but he was nowhere to be found. Then he looked up at me, I walked up and asked, "Why the fuck wasn't I called?"

"No one was called. Just as people in the office found out, they showed up here. Figured you'd be here when you found out if you wanted to."

"Lester, don't fuck with me. Why wasn't an alert sent out? Protocol is when one of us is hurt, the alert is sent office wide. Why wasn't it done this time?"

Les looked at me with a sad expression, "I guess no one thought of it. We heard it on the scanner and rushed over."

Cal and Hal walked over when they heard my voice getting louder. Hal looked at me and questioned, "What's the matter? There's been plenty of times she's been in the hospital and you've not been here."

"What's the matter?" I yelled. "What's the matter is the fact that my fucking WIFE is in the hospital and no one fucking called me." I realized what I'd said when everyone stopped talking and looked over at me. Guess the cat's out of the bag now. I didn't have time to listen to them and answer their questions. I had questions of my own.

Walking up to the desk, I looked at the nurse, "I'd like information on my wife, please."

"Last name?"

"Cooper," I replied.

She punched some buttons in the system and looked back at me, "I'm sorry sir, we have no one by that last name."

I was about to punch the wall but remembered that they didn't know, "Try her maiden name. Plum."

The nurse looked at me, "So, you're the one."

"I'm sorry?"

"I was here when she was brought in. She came to just as we were cutting her clothes off her, she asked for us to call her husband and she passed out again. I asked the guys over there," she said and pointed to the group in black, "but they all said she wasn't married and was probably confused about when one of them was in the hospital and she passed herself off as his wife."

I knew she was talking about when Manny was shot. At least I knew she had regained consciousness at some point. Looking back at the nurse I noticed her name and asked, "Betty, can you tell me what happened?"

Before she had a chance, I felt a large hand on my shoulder and spun around to see Tank standing there. "Come with me and I'll fill you in." I followed him to the ambulance bay outside for some fresh air and sat at the table in the corner. "I was sitting at my desk doing payroll when I heard the police scanner. Steph had taken Mooner in to be rebounded, and was on her way to take him back home. She was going through the intersection of Fifth and Main when some drunk ran the red light at a high rate of speed and ran into her. Her car rolled a couple of times and landed on the driver side. They had to get the Jaws of Life to get her out."

"Fuck," I whispered barely able to contain my emotions. "How is she? How's Mooner?" I knew as soon as she woke up and remembered what happened, she'd ask about Mooner.

"He's banged up. Broken ribs, busted leg, but not much else. He was too high to tense up when they were hit." Tank ran his hand over his bald head and sighed; that wasn't a good sign.

"Just tell me, Tank."

"None of us knew you two were married; are you really married or are you just saying that to get some info?" I held up my hand and showed him my ring.

"She has the matching one on."

He nodded, "When did that happen? We didn't even know you two were dating."

"It happened over the weekend. Nothing else matters right now. How is she?"

"Look, all we know is, it's serious. When she was brought it, she looked pretty banged up and bloody. I've not talked to the doctor since she went into surgery. Fuck man, had we known, we'd have called you. They asked us if we knew who her husband was, but we thought she was just talking about Manny. I'm sorry man."

I couldn't tell him it was okay; I should have been able to because it wasn't their fault, they didn't know. But at the moment, all I could think of was I was going to lose the best thing that ever happened to me. I stood up and walked back inside. I stood at the windows and looked out over the horizon and did something I'd never done before.

I'm not a religious person; hell I don't even know if there is God. I mean, how can you put so much faith and trust into something you can't see, fell, hear, taste, or smell? I'm not atheist, but I guess you could say I'm agnostic. I believe there is some higher power out there, but I can't say for sure there is a God. But, in this moment, I'm hoping there is a God, because I'm praying to God that my wife pulls through this. I will do anything to have her be okay.

I felt another presence behind me and, from the smell, I knew it was Lester. I wasn't ready to face him yet; I knew he'd be calling my ass to the mats soon. I couldn't blame him really, but I didn't want it right now.

"Look, man, I'm sorry no one called. We really didn't think about it." He came up beside me so I could see him in my peripheral. "When the fuck did you two get married?"

"Friday night."

I could see him standing there, thinking. "Dude, I talked to the guys about Friday night. They said you and Steph were drunk off your asses. How the hell did you two get married? If you took advantage of her, I'll kick your ass here and now."

"Look, I don't need this right now. Just know that Steph and I have talked and we are staying married." Finally looking over at him, I gave him my glare, "How the hell could you not call me? Especially when you knew we spent the weekend together? Fuck man, when she was hurt three months ago, you called me. You know we've been spending time together; dinner three times a week, lunch almost every day. Hell, you were the one that called me out on spending the night over there or her staying at my apartment. How could you not think to call?"

I saw the doors open and when I saw whom stepped through, I walked away from Les. As I walked across the room, I began to wonder what I was going to say to this person. Walking up to him, I stuck my hand out to shake his, "Mr. Plum. I'm not sure if you remember, but I'm Binkie."

"I remember you," he said. "Steph brought you to dinner a few times." I nodded. "Can you tell me what happened?"

I walked to the empty chairs and after we sat down, began telling Mr. Plum what I knew of the accident. He tried hard to fight the tears, but in the end, they were there. I looked around and finally had to ask, "Sir, where is Mrs. Plum?"

Wiping his eyes, he shrugged, "Her and her mother went to Wisconsin to visit her sister. I've not called yet. Didn't want to call until I had all the details."

Before I could respond, a doctor came from the surgery wing doors and stopped at the desk. A few moments later, he began walking towards me. _This is it_, I thought. _This is when I learn if my heart will continue to beat._ I stood up and waited for his approach.

"Mr. Cooper?" I nodded. He thrust his hand out for a shake, "I'm Dr. Liscow, the head surgeon for your wife." I noticed Mr. Plum turn his head toward me in surprise. I hadn't had time to tell him of our wedding. "I just wanted to let you know that your wife pulled through surgery and is on the CCU recovery unit."

I noticed the guys all step closer to hear the information; even if I was pissed that they'd not called me, I knew this was something they needed to hear. They were all her family. "How is she? What was the damage?"

"We had to remove her spleen. Her left leg is broken, and we had to put a rod and screws in her left arm. She has two cracked ribs and is going to be sore for a very long time."

"When can I see her?" I needed to see her, to touch her, to feel her heartbeat to know she was still here with me. I didn't know how to explain it, but until I saw her face and heard her heart, I wouldn't believe she was okay.

Dr. Liscow looked at me and nodded; he seemed to understand. "Give them ten minutes to get her transferred and then you can go up. No more than two visitors at a time and no one that will upset her. She's still out of it and will be for a little bit."

Dr. Liscow left the area and Mr. Plum turned to me, "You married my pumpkin?"

"Yes, sir. We were married over the weekend. I meant to tell you, but… well, there's no excuse. I'm sorry."

"Non-sense. Are you happy?" I nodded. "I know she's happy with you. I've seen the change in her since you two started 'hanging out' as she put it. She was beginning to lose that spark she had growing up and I was worried that if she lost it permanently, she'd be a different person. Since you've been around, that spark has grown back in intensity, and I believe you are the reason. I had a feeling that things were going to happen, but I wasn't counting on this fast."

Now, how honest am I with him? I wanted to earn his respect and I wanted him to believe this was a marriage that would last, but if I told him how it came to, would he really think it will last? "I love her, sir. More than I ever thought possible."

"Mr. Cooper, you may see your wife now," Betty informed me.

I started to follow Betty, but stopped, turned around, and motioned to my new father-in-law, "Do you want to come with me?"

He thought about it, but shook his head, "You go first. I need to make a phone call."

The rest of the men stood along the wall and I knew they'd wait for their turn to go see her and I was sure there would be a guard outside her door all night. Walking in, I thought my heart was going to stop. There was my beautiful wife hooked up to so many monitors and she had so many bandages on her, it was hard to tell it was her. She was black, blue, purple, and every color in between.

Betty looked at and smiled, "You can talk to her and you can hold her hand. Don't worry, she will let you know if she's uncomfortable. She may be out of it right now, but she can still let you know. I'll be in to check on her in a little bit. If you need anything before I get back, just push the call button."

I grabbed the chair in the corner and pulled it up to her bed before I grabbed her right hand, "I'm here, Honey. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you were brought in. But, I'm here now and I'm not leaving without you. Most of the guys are in the waiting room, and your dad, he's here, too." I kissed her hand before placing my right hand over her heart. I could hear the heart beat on the monitor, but I needed to make sure I could actually fell it. When I felt it beat under my hand, I took a deep breath and tried to hold the tears back.

"I guess I should tell you before they all come in. The guys, and your dad, all know we're married. I guess I was a little pissed at them for not letting me know you were injured and I kind of yelled that you were my wife and I should have been notified. I know that's not the way you wanted them to find out and I'm sorry. You can kick my ass later, okay?"

I sat there, with my head on her bed next to her arm, and just listened to her breathing. I wasn't sure how long I was there, but I must have dozed off for a little bit. I heard the door open and, out of instinct, I reached for my gun. Looking up, I saw Lester and Bobby enter the room.

"How's she doing?" Bobby asked as he reached for her medical chart at the foot of her bed.

"I don't know. Her heart's beating and she's breathing. But that's all I can tell you. When is she going to wake up?"

"I don't know man. Looks like they have her on some serious drugs right now. Probably to give her body time to heal before she fights it. You know as soon as she wakes up, she's going to want out of here."

"Yeah, I know. Hopefully, she'll come back to the office and stay in my apartment so we can all help her."

Lester stood there just staring at Steph. While it wasn't unusual for him to stare at her, it was unusual for him not to say anything. "Les, you okay?" With a nod, he turned and left the room. I looked up at Bobby who just shrugged and looked at Steph's monitors.

I placed my head back on her bed near her body, and once again, began doing the pleading thing with whatever powers were out there. I just wanted my wife to wake up and be okay.


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry it took so long to get the update done. I wasn't happy with what I had and re-wrote the chapter. Then, I was sidetracked by real life... don't you hate when that happens? LOL... anyway, thank you all for the reviews and alerts. I appreciate them all! Here you go!_

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I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew the door was opening. I knew I didn't need to reach for my gun; no one would get past the two guards outside the door. Looking up, I saw Rodriguez and Stitch. I wasn't really surprised to see them, but it was interesting that they came together.

Stitch came over to Steph's bed and looked at her sleeping, "How's she doing?" he whispered.

"No change really." Looking at Rodriguez and back to Stitch I commented "Surprised to see you two here together."

Both men kept to themselves. Stitch had been Army for two years before he received a medical discharge. He'd been captured and tortured to the point that his leg had to be amputated and his arm was stitched back on; hence the name Stitch. He didn't like to talk to people; everyone always wanted to know about his injuries and how he obtained his name. He rarely ever left the building because every time he did, people would either stare at him or want to talk. For that reason, he worked the night shift.

Rodriguez, well, he just preferred to be left alone. He wasn't a people person. According to him, growing up in an orphanage will do that to you. He didn't really know how to carry on a conversation with anyone. He was shy around people and preferred to do his work on a computer, again, at night.

Stitch stood there staring at Stephanie, "She has to pull through this. We need her at the office." That was the most I'd ever heard him say at once and I was shocked. I didn't think he really knew her.

Rodriguez stepped up and touched her right leg, "We may not see her often, but the few times I've been on the floor during the time she was there, she's always been the light of the office. The guys flock to her just to see a smile."

Stitch walked to the door, "Come on, man. It's our turn to guard her." As they both walked out the door, Vince and Manny walked in. Seemed that all night, someone was coming in every four hours. The two coming to relieve the guards would come say hi to her and the two leaving would come to see if there was any change and to tell her good-bye and they'd be back. I could have easily been jealous; no one ever really came to see me anytime I'd been in the hospital. But, I knew these guys loved her like a sister and they were worried about her.

Sometime around 0700 Lester showed back up looking like he'd been through Hell. He sat in the chair next to the bed and leaned his forehead on her blanket, "I need you to be okay, Beautiful. I…" he stopped talking and took a deep breath. I wasn't sure if he would continue or not, but knew something heavy was on his mind.

When it was clear he wasn't going to continue, I took a chance, "Les, man. What's going on? You look like shit."

Without looking at me, he began talking, "Did you know the asswipe that hit her wasn't even of legal drinking age?"

Um, no, wasn't told that. "No, I just assumed it was some usual drunk."

"No, he's only seventeen. I went to the station and talked to Big Dog and Eddie. Kid doesn't know why he's there. Says he doesn't remember hitting anyone."

How drunk did you have to be to not remember hitting someone with your car? Where the hell did he get the alcohol? I'm pretty sure I didn't speak those questions out loud, but when Les answered, I had to wonder.

"His parents took off for vacation yesterday morning leaving him alone. He broke into their liquor cabinet. Said he doesn't remember how much he drunk, but it was gone, so he was going out to replenish the stash. Don't know who he was going to get to sell to him, but he never made it. His parents are on their way back and pissed as hell."

Well, that answered how he got the alcohol. Wonder what the parents were going to do to him. If he were my son, I'd beat his ass, make him attend AA meetings, counsel kids on the dangers of drinking, then ship hiss ass off to the military.

Les stood up, kissed Steph's forehead, nodded at me, and then left. He still wasn't right, but I knew he had to work this out on his own. When he was ready for help, he'd ask.

The day continued on just as the night had; every four hours was the change of the guards and time for four visitors. Finally around eight at night, I felt Stephanie squeeze my hand. Feeling her hand move was enough to jolt me from the slight rest I was attempting to gain.

"Hey there, Honey. Open those eyes for me," I begged. I didn't care if anyone heard me beg, I just needed to see that she was going to be okay.

Her eyes fluttered like she was fighting to open them and finally, after what seemed like hours, her eyes popped open and I could see the questions in her eyes. "You were in an accident. Someone ran a light and smashed into you. You had surgery and will be sore for a few days, so keep the movement to a minimum."

She looked down her body and saw the cast, "What's that for?" she asked with a quiet hoarse voice.

I reached over to the table and grabbed her cup with ice chips. Spooning a few into her mouth, I explained, "You have a few cracked ribs. They had to remove your spleen. You have a broken left leg, and some screws and a rod in your left arm."

I saw the tears and hated that I was the cause of them. No, I didn't cause her physical pain, but I was the one that explained what happened and caused this emotional pain. I wanted to crawl up in bed with her, hold her to me, and take her pain away. If I could do it without hurting her, I'd have been up there this whole time.

Before she could ask more, the door opened and a nurse, along with Chase, walked in. "How's she doing?" the nurse asked as she approached the bed. "Oh, I see you're awake. That's good." She looked at the monitors and wrote down some information. "How are you feeling? What's the pain on a scale of one to ten?"

I saw Stephanie close her eyes and I hope she wasn't going to play it off. I could see the pain in her eyes and if she didn't admit it, then I was going to speak up. I hated seeing her in pain before she was my wife, but now I had the ability to do something about it.

Luckily, Steph opened her eyes and looked at the nurse, "When I try to move, it's about an eight. If I lay still, I'd say a six."

The nurse looked at her and smiled, "I'll get some pain meds and be back. Anything else I can get for either of you?"

Steph and I both said no and waited for the nurse to leave. I pulled my wife's hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. Before we had a chance to talk, the door opened again. Turning my head, I saw Chase enter the room. Stephanie turned her head and looked at my brother. I couldn't tell if she was wondering who he was or if she remembered him and just wondered why he was here.

Chase walked to the foot of the bed and smiled at her, "I see you're awake." She didn't say anything, just nodded. "I guess I should introduce myself.'

"No need. You are Matthew's brother, Michael. But, you probably prefer I call you Chase, right?"

Chase smiled even more, "You, my sweet, may call me either."

"Back off, Chase. She's my wife," I growled at him.

"I know. However, it would have been nice had I been told when it happened, or even invited to the wedding," he teased. I saw Steph instantly look ashamed and I wasn't having that.

"Stop teasing her. She's in pain and if I have to move from here, I'll kick your ass." I looked at Steph when she pulled on my hand, "Yes?"

"Does everyone know?"

Now it was my turn to look ashamed. I knew she wanted the truth, but I wasn't sure how to tell her how everyone found out. Knowing that honesty was the safest bet with her, I decided to just lay it all on the line.

"Yes, they all know. When I went back to the office yesterday, I found out you'd been in an accident. No page was sent out, so I had no idea until you'd already been at the hospital and in surgery for a while. I came here as soon as I found out."

"When I saw the guys in the waiting room, I laid into them wanting to know why a page wasn't sent out or why I wasn't called. One of the guys asked what my problem was. I sort of just blurted out that it was my problem because my wife was in an accident and I wasn't informed."

Leaning my head down, I kissed her knuckles again, "I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

"There is nothing to forgive you for. I understand. Had the roles been reversed, I'd have done the exact same thing. So, how'd they take it?"

I had to laugh at the point. "I think half of them are still in shock and the other half is ready to take my ass to the mats."

Chase's phone rang, so he left the room. As soon as the door shut, Steph was pulling my arm up to her, "Come lay with me."

I looked at the bed and back at my wife. While the bed was small, I knew it would make her happy if I was up there with her. I didn't want to jar her arm or leg or hurt her stitches, but I wasn't sure how to get up there without moving her some. "I'm not sure I can, Honey."

Of course, my wife being Steph, she wasn't taking no for an answer. She carefully slid herself over some and made room. If I laid on my side, I'd fit up there with her and she'd still have room for her left and arm. As soon as I was next to her, she pulled my arm across her and snuggled her head into my shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" I honestly couldn't figure out what she was thanking me for. But, if she told me, then I'd make sure to do it for her as much as I could if it were something she wanted, needed, or desired.

"For laying here with me. I need you here right now."

"I'll always be here for you. I love you, Steph."

"I love you, too, Matthew." She sighed and drifted off to sleep next to me and I was content to do the same thing.


	8. Chapter 8

_Not mine; all hers :( _

_I'm so sorry for the delay. My mind hasn't been on this story, but on one I'm working on publishing. I've not forgotten about this on, but it's hard to write when the brain doesn't work. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and continue reading!_

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Stephanie was released into Bobby's care a few days later. I was thrilled because that meant she had to come back to Haywood; we'd not really talked about where we were going to stay, but I knew I wasn't spending one night without her near me.

Getting her out of the hospital was a chore in and of itself. She didn't want to be pushed out in a wheelchair; it would show weakness. She couldn't walk out; crutches were out of the question as she couldn't use them with her broken arm. She didn't want to be carried out like "a baby", her words not mine! I wasn't sure how we were going to get her out when Bobby finally stepped up and told her, "Bomber, either you sit your ass in the chair and get pushed out of the damn place, or you can sit in this damn bed until the casts come off. Which is it?"

I laughed when she flipped him off and asked me to place her in the chair. Ten minutes later, we were pulling out of the hospital parking lot and on our way home. I knew she was going to hate the wheelchair, especially when she looked at it and growled.

"What's the matter, Honey?" I asked as I ran my fingers through her hair.

"I'm going to lose all my dignity with that thing," she whispered on the verge of tears.

"How?"

"Seriously? I'm never going to have a moment alone. Every time I have to go somewhere, _anywhere_, I'm going to have to ask to be pushed there. Hell, I don't even know how I'm going to get dressed without help."

"I can help with the getting dressed and undressed," I volunteered with a sly smile.

I watched as her eyes glazed over before she shook her head. "I can handle that, but what I can't handle is," she looked around to make sure the guys in the front seat couldn't hear her. "I can't handle the fact that when I need to use the restroom, I'll have to tell someone and they will have to take me. It's humiliating."

I'd not even thought of that. I know how much she values her privacy and independence… this was going to kill it for her. I wasn't sure what to do. I could help her and I would as much as she'd allow me to, but I also know she's going to be hesitant to allow anyone in the bathroom with her.

"We will work something out, Steph. I promise." Kissing her temple, I noticed we were about to pull into the garage. "Brace yourself. If word got out that you were being released today, you're about to be bombarded with the guys."

No sooner had the words left my mouth and the gate opened, did we see a huge wall of black along the side. I would bet that every RangeMan was there. As soon as Bobby put the SUV in park, the door was ripped open and Cal was reaching in to grab my wife. I expected Lester to be the first one to the door; maybe he was waiting to be the last one and have the chance to carry her upstairs. Not gonna happen, man.

Steph let out a yelp when Cal pulled her from the SUV, but it was more a surprised yelp and not a painful one, so I let it go. I saw one of the first genuine smiles on her face and was glad that the guys were all down here to greet her. Bobby brought the wheel chair around for her and Cal placed her in it. One by one they all welcomed her back and each had to take a moment to assure themselves she was really okay.

When it was Tank's turn, I saw the look of relief on his face. "Good to have you back here, Little Girl. We all missed you." He ruffled her hair before stating, "But, we need to talk about a secret wedding."

Shit, I meant to ask them not to mention anything to her, but in the excitement of her coming home, I forgot.

Steph looked at all the men and I saw tears forming in her eyes. Fuck, I screwed up with this. Before I had a chance to apologize, she cleared her throat, "I'm sorry guys. Honestly, we weren't planning on getting married; at least not so soon. We just kind of said let's do this and did it."

Huh? We were planning on getting married at some point? I don't remember that. Oh well; I love being married to her so I'm not saying shit. I just smile and begin pushing her chair.

I saw Steph look around at the guys and I began to wonder what's wrong. "Are you hurting?" I asked her.

"Where's Lester?" she asked loud enough for everyone to hear. When she said that, I realized that I'd not seen him in the garage. I bet he's in our apartment waiting for a quiet personal reunion.

Bobby scrubbed his hand over his head and sighed, "He took off this morning, Bomber. I don't know where he went, but he said he needed a few days off for a personal matter."

Steph's happy face suddenly became sad. "Binkie, please take me up. I want to lie down for a little bit." I won't say it hurt to hear her call me Binkie; it did. But, I guess we never discussed her calling me Matthew around the guys and they all know me as Binkie; I don't think any of them know my given name other than Ranger and Tank.

I pushed the chair onto the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor, "Are you okay? Are you hurting?"

"Not hurting physically," she responded.

When we reached the apartment, I looked down at her and saw the tears threatening to fall. I hated to see her cry, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I knew what the tears were for and I was going to kill him when he showed up. He should have been here for her.

Taking her into the bedroom, I lifted her onto the bed and curled up with her. "I'm sorry, Steph. I had no idea he wasn't going to be here."

"I'm sorry for crying about it. I don't mean to cry over him, really. He's only a friend; well, one of my best friends. I'm not in love with him or anything. I hope you know that."

"I do. I know what he means to you just as I know what you mean to him. That's why I'm surprised he's not here."

We laid there for a little bit before I noticed she'd drifted off to sleep. I disentangled myself carefully from her and stepped out of the room. Grabbing my phone, I punched in his number and waited.

"Is she okay?" was how he decided to answer.

"No, she's not okay. She's upset that you weren't here to welcome her back to RangeMan. She left the hospital today and was expecting to see your ass. How the hell could you just take off? Damn man, you've not even been to the hospital lately. She thinks you're avoiding her."

I heard him sigh and could imagine him scrubbing his face with his palm; he always does that when he sighs. "Look, I just. I need some time alone right now. I have a lot going through my head and I need to sort it out before someone gets hurt. Tell her I'm sorry and I'll call her in a few days."

"Les, man. What the hell is going on? I'm worried about you."

"I'll be fine, man. Just take care of her."

I heard him hang-up and knew he'd not answer if I called back. So, I called the next number and was greeted with, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She's sleeping right now. I talked to Les."

"What did he say? Did you find out where he is?" Bobby asked.

"Didn't ask. He's messed up, man. I don't know what's wrong, but he's not himself. Said he had some shit he needed to work out before someone got hurt."

"Fuck. I think I know where he is. I'll check in later. If you or Steph need something, call me."

I walked back into the bedroom and checked on Steph, but she was still sleeping. I knew she'd be hungry when she woke up, so I went to the kitchen and tried to find something to cook. Looking in the refrigerator, I noticed most of the food was spoiled. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath. I hated to do it, but I knew I couldn't leave the apartment in case Steph needed me. So, I picked up the land line and dialed Ella.

"Hello, Binkie. How's Stephanie?" came her sweet voice.

"Hi, Ella. Steph's sleeping right now, but she's getting better."

"Good to hear. What can I do for you dear?"

"I hate to ask this, but with Steph in the hospital, I seem to have let the food I have spoil and haven't had time to shop. Would you be willing and able to provide us some food this evening?" I really hated to take advantage of Ella. I know she's here to take care of the guys and provide meals to the break room, but this isn't the break room. She shouldn't to cook for our apartments.

"No problem at all, Binkie. I don't mind. Any special requests or requirements for her?"

Shit, was she on any restrictions? "Give me just a moment to look at her discharge papers. I don't know if they put anything down or not." I found the papers and thumbed through them. No dietary restrictions. "No restrictions, Ella."

"Good, then I'll make something that will be easy on her stomach and some desert as well. I'll have it down there in about thirty minutes."

"Thank you, Ella, and I'm sorry."

"Non-sense. You call me anytime you need to."

Thirty minutes later, Stephanie was awake and sitting on the couch when Ella knocked on the door. Bringing the cart in, she served her homemade chicken soup and had fresh chocolate chocolate chip cookies for desert.

Stephanie drooled just as her stomach made itself known. "Enjoy, dear and let me know if you need something else."

"Thank you so much, Ella. It looks wonderful." After Ella left, we began to eat and Stephanie's phone rang. I reached across the table and grabbed it for her.

Looking at the display, looked a little hurt, "Hello?... Where are you?... Why not?... Physically, I'll heal. Emotionally, I'm not sure. It really hurt that you weren't here. You haven't even stopped by the hospital lately. What's wrong?"

I knew she was talking to Les; hopefully she'd get some answers out of him, but somehow I doubted it. I grabbed her attention, pointed to myself and then the bedroom. I wanted to let her know where I was going and give her some privacy. I didn't want her to think I was to be jealous of her talking to Lester.

Walking into the bedroom, I was about to lay on the bed when my phone rang. Looking at the display, I noticed it was someone I really didn't want to talk to at the moment, but knew I couldn't avoid either. Fuck!


	9. Chapter 9

_Boo! Thank you for all that asked about the story. Here is the next chapter... I hope you enjoy this one. It's not the best, but it gets us to where I need it to be. Ranger will be back in the next chapter... how will things go? Let me know your thoughts!_

_Not mine, but hers!_

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I wanted to avoid this call, but knew the sooner I took it, the better off I'd be. Hitting the button, I took a deep breath, "Boss."

"You want to tell me why the fuck I'm being told that I have to speak to you regarding Stephanie?"

Damn. Who the hell threw me to the wolf? "Well, she's staying here while she recuperates."

"Why? What exactly happened?"

Well, how much did he already know? How much do I tell him? He's the one that left her and didn't look back. Yeah, he left on a mission, but I know he could have turned it down. He's not had a contract with the government for over a year. He picks the ones he goes on and I know he called and asked for a mission when he broke things off with Steph.

"She was in a car accident. Banged up, but healing." I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. I needed to get my emotions under control; he was not part of her life except for a friend now. She was my wife.

"Injuries?" he barked out.

"Spleen removed, broken ribs, leg in a cast, arm with rod and screws."

I heard him take a deep breath and wondered how much longer he had on the phone. "Can I speak with her?"

"She's on the phone with Les right now. I can let her know you called and pass along a message." I knew he wouldn't leave a message with me, but figured I'd try.

"Tell her I'll see her by the end of the week."

Shit… what the fuck does he mean by the end of the week? It's already Thursday. "Pardon?"

"I'll be home by tomorrow night. She can move up to seven on Saturday and I'll take care of her until she's healed."

Oh hell no. I don't think so. I'm not moving my wife up to his apartment. Even if she and I weren't married, I'd still not want her up there. He'll take care of her until she's healed; then what? Throw her out on her ass?'

"Ranger, things have changed since you've been gone. She's not the same Stephanie as she was when you left. You hurt her and she took a while to heal. But when she healed, she became a different person."

"We'll deal with that when I get back. I need to go."

He hung up the phone and that was that. Well fuck me. Now I get to tell my wife that Ranger is coming home tomorrow and he expects her to be moved to his apartment on the weekend so he can care for her. That isn't going to go over well. Well, time to get it over with so we can have a relaxing evening here together.

I walked back out to the living room and saw Steph hanging up her phone. She turned to me and smiled, "Les said to say hi."

"Did you find out where he was?" I questioned as I carefully sat down next to her.

"He's in Maine. Said he had a get-a-way house there," she replied as she tried to figure out a way to curl into me without hurting herself. There was no way that was going to happen, so she gave up and just sat there next to me.

"How is he? Did you find out what was bothering him?"

Shrugging, she said, "Well, he said that he was hurt that he wasn't at the wedding. I told him that no one was there, but us and the minister. He wanted to know how long we'd been dating and why he didn't know." She blew her hair out of her face and took a deep breath, "I told him the truth."

I was surprised, but figured it would happen at some point. Les was her best friend and I knew she didn't keep secrets from him. So, I guess I should be expecting an ass kicking sometime soon. Wonderful. First one will be from Ranger; most likely by Saturday morning. Next one will be from Les as soon as he gets back to RangeMan.

I must have been silent too long because Steph took my hand and squeezed it. "He was upset with how the wedding happened, but when I told him that I was very happy and I didn't feel trapped, he was okay with it. I told him that I didn't want him coming back here and threatening you. He said he'd try to respect my wishes, but he couldn't promise anything."

I smiled at her. I knew I'd be facing him on the mats. He may come up with a different reason to tell her it is for, but I'll know what it's really for. Now, she's been honest with me, so I suppose it's my turn to be honest with her.

"I had a phone call as well while you were talking to Les." She turned her head and looked at me.

"Who? Don't tell me your brother has already called your parents and told them."

I wish it were only that easy. I could handle that with no problem. My mother would be thrilled that I was married. No, she might not like how it transpired, but she'd be happy with a daughter-in-law none the less.

"No, my family still doesn't know. The call was from Ranger."

I watched as her eyes widened and her mouth set in a thin line. One thing was sure… I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't ever want my wife pissed at me. I've seen her pissed a few times and it isn't a good thing.

"What did he want?" she growled.

"Well, I guess he called in for a report and found out you were injured somehow. No one would tell him what happened or how you were, just that if he wanted answers he needed to talk to me. So, he called and demanded to know what happened and why he had to call me."

I watched as she closed her eyes, leaned her head back against the back of the couch, and rubbed her temple with her right hand, "What all did you tell him?"

"I was honest with him. Told him he had to talk to me because you were staying with me right now. I told him what your injuries are."

Turning her head to the side, she looked at me, "Did you happen to mention that we're married?"

I shook my head, "Nah, figure he'll find that out when he gets home tomorrow night or Saturday morning."

"He's coming home? Now?"

I nodded. "He said, and I quote, "I'll be home by tomorrow night. She can move up to seven on Saturday and I'll take care of her until she's healed"."

I saw the emotions fly across her face. Disgust, anger, and finally hatred. Man she was very pissed at the moment.

"Take care of me until I'm healed? What the fuck is he thinking? That I'll just accept his request for me to move up to the seventh floor, stay there while I heal, and then leave? Fuck that. I'm not leaving this apartment unless it is to go somewhere with you. I'm surprised you didn't yell at him over the phone that we were married."

I wanted to, believe you me. I wanted to. But, I knew that was information best delivered in person. "I figured we'd tell him together in person."

"Yeah, probably better that way." She tried to hide the yawn that crept up on her, but I could see it and decided that it was nap time. Picking her up, I smiled when she yelped in surprise; at least I hope it was in surprise and not pain.

"Nap time for the two of us," I explained as we headed to the bedroom. I knew we needed to discuss Ranger and what to do when he arrived back here, but at the moment all I wanted was to hold my wife some while we rested.

I woke up about two hours later to the feeling of an intruder in the room. Carefully, as to not disturb my wife, I reached for my gun under my pillow. Releasing the safety, I had it pointed at the intruder before I even opened my eyes.

"DUDE," he whispered, "put the damn gun away so I can do my job."

"Brown, what the fuck are you doing?" I asked as I put the safety back on and tried to keep my voice low.

"It's time for me to check on her and I didn't want to wake her. I need to check her incision site and make sure it's not infected," he stated as he looked for a way to move her without disturbing her.

"Get the fuck out. She's asleep. I _was_ asleep. She doesn't need to be woke up every few hours. You can check her site when she's awake later."

"No need to do it later," I heard her mumble and knew we'd woken her up. "I'm up now, so might as well get it over with."

"Sorry, Bomber," Bobby said as he moved for me to get out of bed. "I know you're released from the hospital and you don't have a concussion, but I just want to make sure you don't end up with an infection."

"It's okay," she grumbled, "take a quick look." She lifted the hem of her shirt for Bobby to look. The site wasn't red or swollen, so she was good.

"Okay, looks great. I'll leave you alone unless you come to me. But, if you notice anything different let me know ASAP, got it?"

"Got it, Doc!"

I laughed at Bobby's expression and escorted him out of the bedroom. "Next time, knock man. Don't break in because I'll shoot first and ask questions later."

I locked up, not that it mattered, and returned to the bedroom. Crawling back in bed, I kissed Steph and smiled.

"What's the smile for, Matthew?" she questioned as she watched me.

"Honestly?" She nodded. "I've not been able to erase this smile since I woke up married to you. The only thing that stopped the smile was when you were in the hospital. I love that I can touch you anytime I want. I can kiss you anytime I want. And, when you're fully healed, I'll be able to make love to you anytime I want."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," she purred as my fingers began running through her hair. She closed her eyes and then suddenly tensed up. Searching to see if I was bumping her arm or leg somehow, I was about to ask what was wrong when she spoke. "What is the chance that Ranger won't make it back tomorrow?"

"Not a very good one," I told her. I had been thinking the same thing earlier, but knew this was an inevitable meeting that needed to happen. "He's going to come here tomorrow night and expect to see you Saturday morning." Letting out a deep breath, I asked her, "What do you want to tell him? And do you want me there when you talk to him?"

"I have nothing to hide from him. He was the one that ended our _relationship_ or whatever you want to call it. He told me to move on with my life; and I did. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am with you."

She stopped talking for a minute, but I could see there was still a conversation in her head, so I waited. "I do still love him," she said and my heart skipped a few beats. "But, it's more like a love that you share with a friend. I'm not in love with him; hell, I'm not even sure I ever was. The love I feel for you is so different from what I feel for him. I'd be upset if he were hurt or something. I'd be upset if he decided he didn't want to be part of my life any longer. But, I know I'd get over it. If I lost you…."

She couldn't go on and I didn't pressure her to. I knew what she wasn't saying; it was the same thing I felt when I found out she was in the accident. I loved her and she loved me. We were meant to be together and nothing was going to stand in the way. At least, I hope not. Only time would tell, but for now, I was content just lying in bed next to my wife and not worrying about what would happen in just over twenty-four hours.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry for the delay in posting. Things were busy here for a while, but I had a chance to finally get an update typed and ready to go. I hope you'll enjoy! As usual... no money... all hers not mine.

* * *

I woke with a start. Déjà vu. The last time I woke up feeling like this, I woke up married. That was a good feeling. However, this time it doesn't feel like a good feeling. Keep my eyes closed, I maintained my breathing and took stock of my surroundings. I can hear my wife breathing next to me, so I know it has nothing to do with her.

I can hear the ticking of the clock my grandfather made for me when I entered the Army. It's is in my bedroom where it will always stay. Then I hear it. There is someone else in the room with us. I know this is wrong since we are in a secure building, but damn it. I don't need people breaking into my place. I'm sick of it. So, I do the only thing I can think of. In the blink of an eye, I have my gun from under my pillow, the safety off, and the hammer cocked.

"Stand down, Soldier," I hear from where my gun is pointed.

Opening my eyes, I see my aim is still as good as ever. Without even looking, I have my gun aimed right between his eyes. I know I'll catch hell for this later, but he needs to know he cannot break into my place anytime he wants. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I demand as quietly as I can yet still allowing the anger to shine through.

"I just arrived and came to check on Steph," he said as he looked at her stretched out in my bed.

"As you can see, she is being taken care of. This could have waited until morning."

Before either of us could say anything else, Steph let us know she was awake. "Ranger? What the hell are you doing here? It's… what time is it?" she asked me.

Looking at the clock, I groaned, "It's two oh seven."

Steph lifted her head, glared at Ranger, and yelled, "Get the hell out of here. You know I don't like being awakened before eight. And who in the hell gave you permission to break into our place?"

Ranger's blank faced slammed down, he pivoted on his heel, and left the room. I was tempted to follow him to make sure he actually left, but I didn't think he'd appreciate seeing what I was, or wasn't, wearing.

Instead, I turned to face my wife and kissed her deeply, "You have no idea what you just said, do you?"

I could see her running through her conversation in her head and when she got to here last sentence, I knew she'd realized it. "Shit. He's going to demand an explanation tomorrow, isn't he?" Smiling, I nodded. "Oh well. He has no say in my life anymore. Now, let's get some more sleep."

At six, my body was screaming at me to get up and go work out. As much as I wanted to stay there with my wife and watch her wake up, I knew I needed to do this. For more reasons than one. I hate missing my workout. I needed to deal with Ranger. Alone. Before Steph. So, with extreme reluctance, I forced my body out of bed and slipped on my workout gear. After I hit the head, I wandered down to the gym and wasn't surprised to see Ranger there.

I was, however, surprised to see him sparing with Tank. Or was he trying to kill him? Either way, I had a feeling that the punches Tank was currently receiving were meant for me. I guess Tank had finally had enough as he landed a solid punch to Ranger and I saw Ranger bounce off the floor.

Deciding it was my turn, I stepped up to the ring. "How's Steph?" Tank asked as he waited for Ranger to get up.

"Sleeping," I replied. I watched as Ranger shook his head; probably to clear the stars from floating around. "How's he?"

Tank shrugged, "He'll live this time, but he pulls that shit with me again and I won't make promises." Tank climbed out of the ring, grabbed his towel, and headed for the showers. Now is as good a time as any I thought and stupidly climbed into the ring.

"You want to explain Stephanie's comment from this morning?"

Did I want to? No. Was I going to? Hell no. I know better than to get on my wife's bad side. She said she wanted to talk to him and let him know about our wedding, so I'm leaving anything to do with our relationship alone. Call me a coward, but I'm not. I just know how to respect my wife's wishes.

I kept my mouth shut and waited. I knew he couldn't last for long. The silence was worse than an answer for him. I counted to about three and felt the punch. At least now I had a reason for hitting him. You know, other than the reason of him hurting Stephanie.

I'm not sure how long he and I went around, but suddenly the air in the gym changed and I wondered why. Of course, I didn't have to wonder for long when I heard, "Ricardo Carlos Manoso," followed by, "Matthew Adrian Cooper."

Fuuuuuuck meeeeee. She's awake. If she's awake, that means we've been down here for a few hours. Either that or someone woke her up to come stop us. Just as I pulled my punch, I saw chair at the side of the ring.

"What the hell is going on?" she yelled as she looked back and forth between boss man and myself. I sure as hell wasn't going to be the first to answer. I learned a long-time ago from my momma that the first one to answer gets the most punishment.

"Well?" she asked as she drummed her fingers on the wheelchair and glared at us. Who the hell got her out of the bed, dressed her, and brought her down? I need to find out who and why.

"Babe." Oh man, he's in for a world of tongue lashing and I don't mean the good kind.

"Ranger." She glanced at me and back to him. "I asked a question and expect an answer. What the hell is going on?"

"Binkie and I were just having a discussion."

"Wrong answer. Try again."

Oh damn. I've never really looked at her when she's pissed, but fuck me she's hot. "We were sparring?"

What the fuck was that? Was he asking her what we were doing or telling her? Jesus Christ. I thought he had a pair… when did he lose them?

"Yeah, you were sparring and I was just running laps." Damn, how the hell do I keep a straight face when she's like that? Just hearing her when she's pissed is enough to make me hard.

"Now," she stated calmly, "I want to know what you two were discussing because if it has anything to do with me, you know you need to talk to me and no one else."

Ranger, with hands on his hips, hung his head and sighed. Yes, the world has stopped turning. Hell has frozen over. Country music has been abolished. Folks, Stephanie has broken Batman and made him sigh.

"Steph, I just wanted to know why you were in Binkie's apartment and not up on seven. I've always told you that you are free to go there anytime you need."

"And how was I supposed to get things done? I can't walk, I can't even wheel myself around. And why the hell would I want to be in your apartment? Before you left on your mission, you told me that all we'll ever be is friends. I've moved on, Ranger. It's time you did, too."

Ranger looked at Stephanie and I saw the hurt in his eyes. He knew what she was saying was true but he didn't want to accept it. Well, tough shit soldier. You gave her up and I helped her heal. She's mine now.

"Moved on?" She nodded. "Can I ask who the lucky guy is? I know it's not the cop; if it were, you'd not be here."

"Joe and I were done before you ever left for your mission. But, you already know that. As for the lucky guy? Who said he's the lucky one? Maybe I'm the lucky one in the relationship." I had to smile at that. Honestly, I think we are both lucky. We complete each other like no one else could. I must have been smiling for too long. Next think I know, my ass is on the ground and my jaw is sore. What the fuck?

I heard Stephanie yelling, "Damn it, Ranger. Get the fuck off him!" as I felt another punch to my jaw. Fuck, that's going to be sore for a while.

I felt the mat bouce and Ranger was pulled off me. I looked up to see Tank holding Ranger in a choke hold and Bobby rushing to my side. "I'm fine. What the hell happened?" I asked him.

"Guess Bossman figured out who Steph was seeing. I don't think he likes it."

"Yeah, well, he needs to get use to the idea. I'm not leaving her." I threw Bobby's hands off me and slid off the mat. Standing up, I went to Steph's chair and kneeled down in front. "Are you okay?" I quietly asked as I wiped the tears off her face.

"Take me back to the apartment?" she asked as she closed her eyes.

Standing up, I turned to Tank and Ranger, "I'm off for the rest of the day. I need to take care of Steph."

Tank nodded and held Ranger tighter as he struggled to get away. Guess he was really pissed that he lost Steph. Shit, what's he going to do when he finds out we're married? Guess we'll get there later.

Back up in the apartment, I looked at my wife. "Who got you out of bed and dressed?" I asked as I grabbed two water bottles.

"I woke up and you were gone. I waited, but it seemed like it had been hours, so I called Bobby. I was going to call Les to help me up, but then remembered that I needed help getting dressed. I figured Bobby was the safest bet since he's a doctor. Les would have enjoyed it too much and took way too long to get my clothes on."

I had to laugh at that. "Yeah, you're one hundred percent correct on that one, Honey!" Setting my water down, I reached for her hand, 'I'm sorry for fighting with Ranger."

"I'm not worried about you fighting with him. I knew that was going to happen. I'm just pissed that I wasn't the first to talk to him."

Huh? "Why?"

"Well," she hesitated. "I have a feeling when he finds out about us being married, that he's going to be calling you to the mats again. I don't want that to happen."

"I'm sure it will and I can take it. I know he's pissed he lost you and has to take it out on someone. But, I can promise you this… he will NEVER hurt you. I won't allow it. I know you can handle yourself, but I won't stand around and watch him hurt you."

"He'd never hurt me," she said and I cut her off.

"Didn't he hurt you less than a year ago?"

Nodding, she said, "But that's different. He'd never physic…"

"I know he'd never physically hurt you, but there are all kinds of hurt out there. I won't stand for him hurting you in ANY way. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Before we could say anything else, my phone rang. Figuring it was one of the guys, I didn't look at the display before I answered, "Yeah?"

"Is that anyway to answer the phone?"

FUCK! I knew I should have looked at the display…


	11. Chapter 11

_This is a little shorter than normal, but I felt it needed to end where it was. I'll try to have another update early next week at the latest. As usual, all mistakes are mine (this is not beta'd). No money is being made on this. Enjoy!_

"Sorry, Momma," I said as I sunk onto the couch next to Stephanie. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "What do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

When Stephanie looked at me, I instantly saw the worry in her eyes. I tried to smile at her that all was fine, but she wasn't looking at me.

"Do I _need_ a reason to call my son?"

Shit… she's not in a good mood. Wonder what she knows and who told her. "No, Momma. You don't need a reason to call. How are you?"

"Well," she began before she did a dramatic sigh. Fuck, she knows something. I bet I get to kill Chase. "I just wonder how my son is doing. It's been so long since I've heard from you, I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive. But one of my other sons assured me you were alive and kicking."

"Sorry, Momma. Things have been busy here."

"Not too busy for your brother to call me. He calls me every night before he goes to bed. Is it too much to as the same of you?"

Fucking brown noser. "Momma, I have more responsibilities than Michael does. Once he's been here a while gets into the routine of things, he won't have as much time either."

"Oh baloney. He will always call his mother. I don't know where we went wrong with you. You are the one of the kids that doesn't call at least once a week."

Fuck me. I hate the fucking guilt trips. I knew there was a reason I didn't want family working here. "I will try to call more often, but I can't promise anything."

I heard the clicking of her tongue and knew she was trying to figure out what to say next. I braced myself because if she'd been talking to Michael, then I have a feeling she knows about my marital status. I know I should tell her, but I don't want to do it over the phone. I wanted it to be done in person.

"Well, I better go. I know you said you are a busy man, so I don't want to take up your precious time." I heard her move around and figured she was getting up out of her chair. "Make sure to tell Michael that I'll talk to him tonight, okay?"

"Okay, Momma. I love you and Dad."

"Oh we love you, too, Matthew. I'll talk to you again later. Oh, and please tell your wife we look forward to meeting her." She hung up before I had the chance to say anything in response. FUCK!

I flipped my phone shut and closed my eyes. I could see my hands wrapping around Michael's neck and squeezing. His eyes popping out like they do on the old cartoons. The life draining from him. No, that's too easy of a way to die. I'll have to make it more painful. Hmm, wonder if I still have my rusty knives…

"Matthew?" Snapping my eyes open, I see my wife's gorgeous blues staring back at me. "What are you plotting?"

"How'd you know I was plotting?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Because as soon as you hung up the phone, your eyes rolled back in your head. You were smiling, then frowning, and then smiled again."

"I'm plotting ways to kill Chase."

I heard her suck in a breath, "Why?"

I didn't want to upset her, but I don't want to lie to my wife either. "He told Momma about my having a wife."

"You can't kill him," she said to me. I figured she'd say that; she's against killing as it is, but make it a family member, and she is _really_ against it. She looked at me and smiled, "You can't kill him, because I'm going to kill him first."

I love my wife. If she weren't still in pain from her surgeries and still in casts, I'd haul her to the bedroom and show her how much I love her. God, I miss being buried inside her.

Just as I was about to suggest that we pop a movie in, there was a knock on the door. I stood and walked to the door. Peeking through the hole, I saw two people. One I wanted to talk to and one I didn't want to see right now. Opening the door, Ranger and Chase stepped through.

I glared at Chase, "I received a phone call earlier." It took him a second, but he had the decency to look down. "Yeah, you and I need to talk in a little bit. And, if I were you," I said as I lowered my voice, "I'd stay away from Steph right now."

Ranger walked into the living room and sat down on the chair, "Can I talk to you for a moment, Babe?"

I cringed hearing that word. I know he's always called her that, but now that she's my wife, I don't like it. I don't like Les calling her _Beautiful_, but I know I have to get use to this. I will not ask her to change, and that includes the people that she has in her life.

"What do you want to discuss, Ranger?"

He looked at me, then Chase, and back to Stephanie. "Well, I guess I was wondering if there was anything you'd like to tell me."

Oh hell no. I growled at Chase and was ready to deck his ass. "It wasn't me. I'm not that stupid," he whispered. That is yet to be seen.

Ranger must have heard Chase because he spoke up, "No one told me. I found out on my own."

Stephanie looked like she was about to cry and I didn't like that. Walking over, I sat on the table and pulled her chair to me. Taking her hands in mine, I waited until she looked at me, "Honey, please don't cry. We knew we were going to have to tell him."

"I know. I just wanted to be the one to tell him."

"Babe, no one told me. I did what I usually do when I return from a mission."

She looked over at Ranger and tipped her head to the side, "What is that?"

For a minute, I didn't think Ranger was going to answer. Chase, while waiting for the answer as well, walked over to Steph and kissed her cheek. I was surprised, but then again, I wasn't. She draws everyone in when they meet her.

"I do a background check on you every time I come home."

Holy shit. If Steph could have stood up, I think she'd have launched herself at Ranger. The look in her eyes was murder. "Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right. I _thought_ you said you ran a BGC on me and that you do that every time you come home from a mission."

Ranger closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, I saw a world of regret in them. "I did say that. I do it every time I get back from a long mission."

"WHY?" Okay. Here's the thing. I love when my wife is angry. I know I shouldn't, but as long as she's not angry with me, it turns me on. I love the sound of her voice when she's like that. I fi could pay someone to piss her off every day, I would… just don't tell her that!

"Babe."

"Do NOT _Babe _me, Ranger. I want to know why the hell you feel it necessary to run a check on me."

"I do it to see what happened to you while I was gone. I know the guys usually tell me the major things, but I want to know everything. Why didn't you tell me?"

"When the hell was I supposed to tell you? When you broke in here at two o'seven in the morning? Or how about when you were beating the hell out of my husband?" I saw her struggling to reposition and knew she was itching to get up.

Placing my hand on her knee, I squeezed slightly and she settled down. The movement wasn't lost on Ranger. He glanced at my hand and her expression.

"I know you're pissed at me, but I do it to make sure you weren't really in any danger while I was gone. Only this time, I found something that I never expected. I found that you are no longer Stephanie Plum, but Stephanie Cooper. And, believe it or not, I'm happy for you and Binkie. I know he will be able to provide you with the things I couldn't or wouldn't. He'll take care of you and I know you'll be happy."

He looked at me before he spoke again, "If you ever hurt her, you'll have me to deal with."

"I don't appreciate threats," I reminded him. "Besides, I'd never hurt her; at least not intentionally. I'm sure you can't say the same."

He started to shake his head to deny it, but stopped mid shake. "You're right. I have hurt her and for that I'm sorry. I regret everything I did to hurt her; but I won't stand by and watch someone else do the same. Don't screw it up. She's the best thing that will ever happen to you." With that, he stood up and left our apartment.

"Damn," Chase whistled. "What the fuck was that?"

"That was nothing compared to what I'm about to do to you," Steph growled out. Chase actually looked scared of my wife. Honestly, if I were in his shoes, I'd be scared, too!


	12. Chapter 12

_Here is the next chapter. Les has returned... what will happen? All mistakes are mine, but hopefully there aren't that many. All belong to Janet... except Chase; he's mine!_

_Don't forget to review!_

It was another two weeks before Lester came home. I was on monitors and Steph was sitting beside me when she saw his truck appear in the garage. She looked just like a kid on Christmas morning. I could have been jealous, but I wasn't. One, I knew that wouldn't get me anywhere and two, I knew what Les meant to her. He was her best friend; someone she could talk to and tell anything to. Well, other than me, but I guess she can't talk about me to me, so she has to have someone else.

When the elevator doors opened, I had Steph's chair right there so she was the first thing Les saw. When he stepped from the elevator, he leaned down and hugged her as tight as he felt he could. I couldn't make out what she whispered to him, but I saw him nod and then he kissed her cheek. When he stood up, he shook my hand, "Congratulations, man. I'm happy for you two."

"If you were so happy, then why'd you take off when she needed you most?" I wasn't going to say anything, but I guess I've developed my wife's filter. He stood there with his blank face and I wondered if I'd said the wrong thing. I didn't know what was going on with him, but it had to have been something for him to be like this.

"Matthew," Steph said as she reached for my hand. "Not now, okay? Just let him get settled back into the swing of things." Looking at Les she asked, "Would you please wheel me down to the apartment? I'm ready to get out of this for a little bit and sit on the comfy couch. Maybe you could keep me company for a little bit."

Lester looked at me asking for permission. "Go ahead. She still needs help moving from the chair to the couch, and she'll need to put her leg up on the table. If you need something, call." I kissed my wife and watched as she left with Les. Again, I could have been jealous, but I tried to contain it.

When I headed back to the monitors, I saw Zip look at me. "What?"

"Man, I don't know how you just let your wife go to your apartment with Les. You know he's a player and he's wanted Steph for so long."

"She's my wife and I trust the both of them. They are friends and she wants to make sure he's okay. That's all."

"Whatever," he mumbled as he shrugged his shoulders.

It had been two hours, my monitor time was up and while I didn't want to imagine what was going on in the apartment, ever since Zip made his comment, all I can think about is what are they doing? Has Les made a move on her? Stop it, Binkie! You know he'd never do that. He doesn't think of her like that. She's more like his sister.

My time at work was done for a few hours; I was needed on a takedown later. I took the stairs down to the apartment and quietly opened the door. I wasn't trying to snoop, I just didn't want to disturb Steph if she were sleeping. When I walked in, I found Lester and Stephanie sitting on the couch talking still. I was surprised, but glad they were talking.

"There you are," my wife greeted me as I leaned down to give her a kiss. I could see she'd been crying at some point and I was about to get pissed.

Wiping her cheeks, I asked her, "What's wrong? Why were you crying?"

"I best be going. I need to get ready for the takedown." Lester stood up, leaned over and gave Steph a kiss on the cheek, then offered me his hand, "I'll see you later tonight?"

"Affirmative."

He showed himself out the door as I sat down next to Steph. "Want to tell my why you've been crying?"

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Les was telling me why he left and stayed away so long." I waited, knowing that when she was ready to tell me she would. "He said he left because he needed to sort out his feelings for me."

Shit. I knew he had feelings for her, but I always thought they were brother/sister type. Guess I was wrong. He never said anything, though.

"He told me that he kept his feelings hidden because everyone thought I was with Ranger. But, when he found out that you and I were married, then he felt like he'd lost his chance at ever asking me out. He was afraid that if he told you about his feelings, that you'd be pissed at him and never let him near me."

"Honey, I can't and won't control who you have in your life. That is your decision. If, however, I ever saw him make a move on you, then I'd have something to say about that. But, I trust you completely."

She pulled me to her and gave me the sweetest, most gentle kiss. "I'm glad you trust me," she said against my lips, "but you need to trust Les, too. He and I talked, and while he still loves me, he's trying to make sure he doesn't do anything to piss you off. He's afraid that if you find out about his feelings towards me, than you'll end your friendship and ask me to do the same. I tried telling him that won't happen."

Damn, how'd this get complicated? "Is that why he took off for a few weeks?"

"Yeah, said he wanted some time alone to deal with the fact that you and I were married and that he may end up losing two friends. He doesn't want that to happen, but he's not sure how you will feel about it."

"He's my go-to guy here. If I've had a bad day, he always makes some fucked up joke to make me laugh. If I needed a date, he always knew what girl to call for me. If I needed to spar with someone because I was pissed, he was there. If I needed my ass kicked, he was more than happy to help."

"Then, go and talk to him. He's hurting right now. He isn't sure what's going to happen between you two. Make him understand that things won't change… well, nothing other than he can't kiss me anymore."

As much as I wanted to just spend a few hours with my wife, I knew she was right. I needed to talk this out with Lester and make sure he understands that, while my wife is off limits to him, he doesn't need to avoid either of us and he isn't losing our friendship. Damn, when did our lives turn into something other than guns and kicking ass?

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I said as I kissed the daylights out of her. I really didn't want to leave her, but knew this needed to be done. So, I headed across the hall and banged on his door. The door swung open and Lester stood there looking lost. "Can I come in?"

He backed up and motioned for me to step in. After he shut the door, he looked at me, sighed, and hung his head. "She told you, huh?"

"She did. We need to talk now." We walked into the living room and sat down. I wanted a beer for this talk, but knew we couldn't have any since we had the takedown tonight.

"Look, if you want to kick my ass, go for it. But, the truth is, I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember. I never made a move on her because I assumed, like everyone else, that she was with Ranger. The few times that I knew they weren't together, she was with the cop. So, when you guys came back from your weekend away and we all found out you two were married, I was pissed. Not at you, but at myself. I lost any chance I had at ever getting the girl. I needed some time to come to terms with that and think of what I'd do if I lost not only one friend, but two."

"I know you are Steph's best friend," I told him, "and I'm not going to make her choose between us. You are her friend and I'm her husband. We can both be in her life. We just need some boundaries where you are concerned."

I saw him look up at me and smirk, "I know… no kissing her, right?"

"For starters." Here is the hard one. I know what I want to happen, but I also am not sure it is the best idea.

"Starters? What else is there?" I could see he was about to get pissed and I needed to head it off quickly.

"Well, she and I are going to need new partners. You know Tank and Ranger aren't going to allow her and me to partner up when she's ready for field work again. So, I was hoping that you and I could change. You partner with Steph and I'll partner with Bobby."

Lester sat there for a few minutes; I'm assuming he was stunned. Here I was offering him to spend more time with my wife and he was expecting me to take her away from him. "You mean you'd actually trust me with Steph?'

Nodding, I added, "I look at it this way. You love her almost as much as I do, so whose going to protect her like I would? She trusts you and she'll listen to you. You just have to keep your hands to yourself."

"I really appreciate you doing this, man. I thought for sure that once you found out how I feel about her, you'd not want me near her."

"As long as you keep your hands and lips to yourself, we're good."

Lester nodded and smiled, "Can I be the one to tell her?"

"I've not even discussed this with management yet. I'm not even sure she'll want to partner with your ass," I joked with him. He finally busted up laughing, and I knew he and I would be okay. He would still be my wingman when I needed him to be.

Later, after the takedown was complete, I checked on Steph. She was fast asleep and had left a note for me on the counter telling me to go have a beer with Les. She knew me so well. Who was I to go against her wishes? So, I found myself back over at Les' with a couple of beers. We sat around and shot the shit for two or so hours before we finally decided to call it a night. It was good to have him back home. Now things could hopefully get back to normal.

Shrugging out of my clothes, I crawled into bed next to my wife. I began caressing her and wishing I could make love to her. It had been over a month and I was dying to be insider her again, but knew I had to wait until she was fully healed. I just wish that the casts could come off now instead of in a few more weeks.

Oh well… I guess it will be another ice cold shower for me in the morning. But tonight, I'm going to enjoy the feel of her body next to mine. Sweet dreams are so made of this!


	13. Chapter 13

Okay, I'm taking liberty with how long Steph would be in the cast and stuff... but it's time to move the story ahead a little. I hope you enjoy!

Not mine, no money either!

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It's been a month since Lester returned to RangeMan and had a talk with Steph. He and I are cool; we hang out once a week and just sit back, relax, and have a few beers. He told me he'd met someone, but before he gets serious about her, he wants my wife to meet her. He really trusts Steph's instincts and if she says the lady is no good, then Les will drop her.

So, that is why I'm currently getting dressed in my jeans and t-shirt when I'd rather be getting undressed with my wife instead! Oh yeah, she got her casts off this morning and is cleared for non-strenuous activity. I checked with her doc; sex is okay as long as she stays off the leg for long periods of time. NO problem there seeing as I plan on having her on her back and moaning my name most of the time.

But, that won't happen for a few more hours. Damn Lester and his need to have my wife okay the girl he wants to date. Why can't the fucker just get the message the old fashioned way? Date her and see what happens. Son of a bitch just wants to ruin my night; he knew what I had planned.

"Matthew?" came the sweetest voice I've ever heard and I wanted to cancel our plans.

"Yes, Honey?"

I saw her wobble into the bathroom; she's unstable on her leg and is supposed to be using a cane, but she hates the thing with a passion… and not the good passion. So, around our apartment, she uses the walls and furniture instead of the cane. Can't say I blame her and I know better than to demand she use the damn thing. Hell, she'd probably use it on me and either hit me over the head with it, stick it up my ass, or both. Yeah, I'm not about to demand she do anything.

I looked in the mirror and watched as her eyes glazed over and she licked her lips. Oh yeah, she wants me as much as I want her. Chuckling, I asked, "Did you need something?"

She shook her head as if to clear the thoughts roaming free in there, but I could still see the lust in her eyes, "Just wondering what I should wear tonight," she whispered.

Nothing was the first thing I wanted to say, but then thought better of it. I don't need anyone else seeing my wife naked and certainly not Lester! "How about that little red dress? I love how hot you look in it." She looked like she was trying to remember the dress, but nodded as she hobbled out of the bathroom.

An hour later, we were all seated at Angelo's, a new Italian restaurant just outside of Trenton, and I was wondering why the hell I suggested my wife wear that fucking red dress. Every damn male in the place had their eyes either glued to her ass or her tits. It was driving me insane. I wanted to kill every one of the fuckers, but it was my own damn fault. Note to self, only allow wife to wear red dress in the apartment and when no one else is around.

"Damn, Binkie. You look like you're ready to burn down the entire place with everyone still inside," Lester teased me.

"Don't tempt me," I growled back at him.

His date, Kari, just looked at us like we had two heads. "What's the problem?" she asked.

I didn't want to answer and sound like an ass and my wife must have noticed because she answered for me. "My husband is obviously regretting his decision to have me wear this dress."

"But you look hot in it," Kari said with a wink.

Wait! Back the fuck up. Oh hell no. She is not hitting on my wife!

"Thanks," Steph said. "This is the first time in a few months that I've been able to wear anything nice and I think Matthew is a little on edge." She squeezed my leg and I calmed down some, but not near enough.

"Who's Matthew?" Kari asked. Jose Jalapeño on a stick, was she not listening when we did the fucking introductions?

"Binkie's real name is Matthew," Lester told her. Damn man, where the hell do you find them? Tall, big tits (probably fake), blonde hair (I'm assuming real, but you know what assuming does), and I swear to God, she had an ass implant!

"Oh, so is Lester your real name?" she asked and I wanted to bang her head on the table. Does she not remember a damn thing she asks? She asked not more than five minutes ago if Lester had a nickname and he told her no. He only goes by Lester!

When Kari finally excused herself to the restroom, I looked across the table, "Dude, what the fuck is that?"

"I don't have a clue. This is not how she was the other night, I swear," he whispered.

"Have you fucked her yet?" was my next question… and the question to get me slapped upside the head by my wife and that fucking hurt! "What?" I asked her while rubbing the back of my head.

"That is quite rude, Matthew Adrian Cooper. Why would you ask such a question?"

"It's okay, Beautiful. He knows me," Lester said with a smile. "Last weekend."

Give me a gun! Oh wait, I have a gun. Three guns actually. Four if my wife is dressed. I could hit him so many fucking times they'd never know which one finally killed him. "Why the fuck did you sleep with her? Now you know she's gonna hang around."

"I was horny!" he said a little too loud and caused the people at the table next to us to turn and look.

"He auditioning for part in a movie," Stephanie explained and I had to slam down my blank face. I couldn't breathe for fear of busting out laughing. The couple nodded and turned back to their food. "Les, sweetie, I hate to say it, but isn't the one. She doesn't listen, she asks the same questions all the time. She's an airhead, hun."

"Yeah, I figured that out just a few minutes ago."

"Where did you find her?" I asked. I just had to know so I knew where to tell him to stay away from.

"She was at the hospital when I took a skip in with Zero. She was there waiting for a friend to get out of surgery. We started talking and she asked what I did for work; she saw the RangeMan shirt and the guns. We started talking and here we are."

Before any of us could respond, Kari returned to the table. "Sorry, but I have a schedule I have to keep. If I mess it up, then I'm miserable for a few days."

"Oh, do we need to go?" Stephanie asked. Like me, she assumed that the schedule was some sort of exercise or work thing.

"Oh no. I just went." Kari looked at our confused faces and decided to fill us in on her schedule… which I really wish she hadn't done. Guess Kari has to take a piss every thirty-five minutes or else she's afraid she won't make it to a bathroom. So, no matter where she is, she has to hit the head exactly every thirty-five minutes. You know, there are some things that a person just does NOT need to know.

I couldn't take it anymore. If I had to sit there and listen to preaching of Kari one more minute, I was going to pull my guns out and shoot someone. Finally, the waiter brought our bill and I grabbed it. I didn't want to sit there while everyone fought over who was paying. I grabbed my wife's hand, told Les we'd see him back at the office, and we headed to the front. I was covering the entire bill and tip just to get us the hell out of there.

Once we were back at the apartment, my mood changed. I forgot all about Les and Kari and focused all my attention on my beautiful wife. Who was standing in front of me. Looking like sex in heels. And she was mine. All mine. So why the fuck couldn't I move? I didn't want to hurt her, that's why.

Finally, she took mercy on me and made the first move, "Matthew, I'm not going to break. The doc said we could have sex and we ARE going to have sex. NOW!"

Yes, Ma'am! My soldier tried to salute her, but he was restrained in my jeans. I saw her eyes trail down my body and stopped where my soldier was straining to give her a proper salute and her hands reached out. Before she even touched me, my dick twitched in anticipation.

Her fingers reached my zipper and I watched as she ever so slowly lowered it. Once the zipper was down, her hand reached in and she grabbed my cock and pulled it out. Her fingers glided over the smooth skin and I swear to God, I was ready to cum right then and there.

I couldn't let her have all the hands on and I have all the enjoyment, so I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Laying her down, I stood back and admired her in the dress and decided my decision from earlier stood. She is not wearing that dress anywhere but here in this apartment and only under my eyes.

Slipping the dress off her body, my breath caught in my throat when I saw her black lacy bra and panties. There was hardly anything to them. Fuck, she'd probably cover more with three Band-Aids. One on each nipple and one on her…. Holy fucking shit! She is bare. Completely bare. Fuck me, I'm going to die a happy man tonight!

"You like?" she whispered as her hand slid down her body.

"Very much," I replied and realized my voice had dropped a few octaves. When I saw her fingers touch her lower lips, I knew I was right. I was going to die.

"Show me how much," she begged as she slid the panties, if you can really call them that, off. I watched as her fingers came back up and tweaked her nipples. When the hell did she lose the bra? Oh fuck… if I'm going to die happy, I better get started. I'll figure out what happened to the bra later. Right now I have a very wet wife that I'm about to please.

Sometime later, who the hell knows when, I heard the phone ringing in the background. I figured it was Lester and I could deal with him later; if I'm still alive. Right now my wife is sitting on the edge of the bed with my very hard and throbbing cock in her mouth. My legs feel like they are about to give out; I'm not sure how much more I can take, but I'm sure as hell willing to find out.

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Please take a moment to review! I really appreciate all of them!


	14. Chapter 14

Not much happening in this story, but there is a little... not mine, but still fun to use to write with! Enjoy and please leave a review!

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Steph was currently passed out in the back seat of the SUV we borrowed for the trip. I was driving and Chase was sitting shotgun. I'd been driving for six hours and my ass was numb, so I pulled over at a rest area. Chase and I stepped out to stretch our legs and I need to hit the john.

"Stay here so if she wakes up, she won't be scared. I'll be back and then you can go."

He nodded and leaned against the SUV. As I headed to the building, I prayed that my pop was okay. Martin had called and told me that Malcom was with mom at the hospital waiting on word from the doctors. Pop had a heart attack and no one was sure how serious it was. Chase, Steph, and I were on the way to Asheville, North Carolina to see him. Guess it was time for my wife to be introduced to my family. I just hope it doesn't scare her off.

I was reminded just how amazing my wife is when I told her of my pops heart attack. I was planning on just Chase and I going, but she said she wanted to be there for the two of us, and if allowed, for the rest of the family. She didn't care that she had no clue who these people were, she just wanted to do what she could.

Once the bladder was empty, I popped some money in the vending machines for some snacks. Two Kit-Kats, two 3-Musketeers, and two Code Red's later, I was heading back to the SUV. I'll never tell anyone at RangeMan, but Code Red and 3-Musketeers are my weaknesses. Chase prefers a Kit-Kat, but I can't fault him for that. He just has zero taste.

Reaching the SUV, I noticed my wife is standing next to Chase and looking sexy as hell with shorts and tank-top on. Makes me wish we could just get a hotel for the night, but we agreed that we'd drive straight through. Nodding at Chase, he runs for the building. Guess he needed to drain the snake as well.

"Where are we?" Steph asked as she curled into my side.

Kissing the top of her head, I replied, "Just outside Roanoke, Virginia. We still have about four to four-and-a-half hours to go."

"How are you doing? Any news while I was sleeping?"

"No, nothing yet. I'm getting tired and my ass is, or was, numb. I think I'll have Chase drive the rest of the way."

Her hand slid down my back and landed on my ass. "Need me to massage it?" she questioned with a twinkle in her eye.

"Don't start what you're not willing to finish in front of my brother," I teased her. I felt her squeeze my ass and laugh.

"If I were into putting on a show, I'd have no problem. However, I'd like to keep that part of our life private."

I leaned down and captured her lips with mine, "So would I, but I also want you right now."

When her hand skimmed the front of my jeans and she squeezed my dick, I was ready to throw her in the back of SUV and have my way with her. But, my brother had other plans. "Come on you two. Get your asses in the car before you strip each other out here in the parking lot!"

"Hey, no one would know. It's empty and dark," Steph replied and shocked the hell out of me. I was game for it, but I highly doubt she'd really follow through. Hmm, maybe I could break the rearview mirror off the windshield. Nah, she'd still not go for that. Fuck. We need to make it there soon.

Steph said she needed to hit the restroom, so I walked her up to the building. Yes, she could have walked up there herself, but it was two in the morning and were in a strange town at a rest-area. I'm not going to allow anything happen to my wife while I'm around.

When she was finished, I headed to the money makers, I mean vending machine, again. "Want anything?" I asked her.

She perused the selection and decided on a coke and Hershey's Bar. Walking back to the SUV, she stopped and turned to me. "Am I going to be in the way?"

"Honey, you are never in the way. Where did that come from?"

"I just realized that I didn't ask if it was okay if I came with. I just told you I was going to help out if I could." She looked down at the ground and I was shocked.

"Steph, you never have to ask if you can come with me to see my family. You are a part of my family. You are more than welcome to come with me. I'm glad you are going with me. While I'm not glad about the circumstances, I'm thrilled that you will be meeting my family. They will love you; don't worry."

Leaning up, she gave me a kiss. While she tried to keep it a simple kiss, I couldn't. I had to deepen it and explore her mouth with my tongue. Just as my hand reached up under her tank top, I heard the horn on the SUV beep. Damn fucking impatient brother. Can't he see I was in the middle of something?

Steph stepped back and smiled, "Soon, Matthew. I promise."

_Not soon enough, _I mumbled under my breath as I led us back to the SUV. Steph climbed in the back and slid across the seat. I was torn about where to sit. I knew I wanted to sit in the back with my wife, but would we be able to keep our hands to ourselves? Fuck it. If Chase can't handle it, it's his problem. I can't think of how many times I had to sit and listen to him and his date of the night make out in the back of the car when we were younger. Paybacks are a bitch!

Hopping in the back, I shut the door and pulled Steph to me. I saw Chase look in the mirror and frown. Too bad, fucker. It's my wife and I plan on sitting with her. I leaned down and kissed her head as she melted into my side. Opening the wrapper on her candy bar, I watched as she broke a piece off and slowly slid it into her mouth. Her eyes closed as the chocolate landed on her tongue and I heard her moan. Chase must have heard it as well because his eyes flicked to the mirror once again.

Hearing her moan woke the soldier once again and he began knocking at the zipper. He wanted to be that piece of chocolate just sitting on her tongue. He wanted to be what was sliding down the back of her throat and giving her so much pleasure. Damnit! Why the fuck did we have to drive with my brother? Maybe I can just kick him out of the SUV and let him walk a few miles. That would give me time with my wife. Nah, not enough time. There will never be enough time with her.

As she took another bite, she stared in my eyes and I swear to God she was trying to kill me slowly. This time when she placed the tiny square of chocolate on her tongue, not only did she close her eyes and moan, she also ran her fingers over my soldier and made him begin thumping on the zipper. He wanted out to play and he wanted out NOW!

It was my turn to moan when she squeezed my cock through my jeans. My hips pushed up towards her hand wanting more of her touch. Chase laughed and informed us, "If you two don't stop making those damn noises, I'm going to pull over, grab some popcorn, and watch."

The rest of the trip was made in complete silence. It was torture, but my soldier finally stood down for the remainder of the ride.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and Chase cut the engine. I woke Steph up and told her we were there and waited for her to wake up. After stretching our legs, the three of us walked in and up to the cardiac unit. I saw Malcolm and Martin standing by the window. I looked, but didn't see Mom.

Stephanie glanced to the windows, looked at me, back to the window, and smiled. "I can see you two are twins, but I doubt I'd ever have a problem telling you two apart." Usually people have to ask us which one we are.

Leaning down, I kissed her and rested my chin on her head. I just needed a moment to center myself before dealing with my bothers. Looking up, I knew when Martin spotted us. He came over, slapped me and Chase on our backs, and asked, "Who's the lady?"

"Martin, I'd like you to meet my wife, Stephanie. Steph, this is Martin." His chin about hit the floor. Guess Mom and Chase didn't tell the rest of the family. I was surprised.

Malcolm finally joined us and he looked like shit. After I introduced him to Steph, we all sat down in the chairs. "Any news?"

Malcolm and Martin shook their heads as Malcolm replied, "Mom's in there with him right now. It's not good. The doctor said something about a twenty-percent chance, but I didn't hear what exactly he was talking about.

We talked for a little bit before I saw my mother step from behind the double doors. She was slowly walking and looking at the floor, but when she looked up and saw Chase and myself, she quickened her steps. "My sons. You are all here now."

I grabbed her in a hug and knew the moment she began crying. I held her tighter and let her get it all out. I knew she'd not break down in pop's room, so this was the least I could do for her. After she was done crying, she looked up at me and smiled, "Where is my daughter-in-law? I'd love to meet her. Please tell me you brought her with."

"I did, Mom," I told her and I looked around the room. Only, I didn't see my wife. She was gone and the panic set in. When did she leave? Why did she leave? Where did she go? Did she tell anyone she was going? How the hell did I lose my wife in a fucking hospital?

I was about to run out the door and search the hospital when I saw her burst through the elevator doors carrying a cup holder and six cups of coffee. My heart began beating again, but my adrenaline was still sky high. Walking over to the elevator, I took the carrier and sat it down on the table before crushing Stephanie to me, "Don't do that again, please," I begged.

"Do what, Matthew?" she asked with concern.

"I'm sorry, Honey. I just got worried when I looked to introduce you to mom and you weren't here."

"I went to get coffee for everyone and give you guys a few moments alone with her. I told Chase where I was going," she explained.

"Matthew? Is this your wife?" I heard my mother ask from behind me.

Turning around, I brought Stephanie in front of me and wrapped my arms around her from behind. Resting my chin on her head, I smiled at my mom, "Yes, Mom. This is Stephanie, my wife. Steph, this is my mother, Martha."

Mom and Steph shook hands and my mother refused to let go, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm so happy to have a daughter-in-law and someone who makes Matthew happy."

"Trust me, he makes me pretty happy as well," Steph replied.

We all sat down in the chairs and I listened as my wife interacted with my family. I couldn't help but beam with pride at the fact that they all seemed to get along and yet, I wished my pop was out here with us. I knew he'd love her as much as the rest of the family. Hopefully, one day, he'll get to meet her.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you all for the reviews and alerts. I'm glad you are still enjoying the story. Please enjoy this chapter and leave some reviews at the end..._

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Sitting on the couch with Steph's head on my lap, I was running my fingers through her hair while talking to Mom and Chase. Malcolm and Martin had each passed out in the not-so-comfortable looking chairs.

"Where did you meet your wife?" Mom asked.

"She actually works with us. She is a bounty hunter like the rest of us. She also works in the office occasionally." I stopped running my fingers through her hair when I saw the doctor walking through the doors. As soon as I stopped, she opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Why did you stop?" she whispered with a smile.

I looked up to where the doctor was standing and Steph's eyes followed mine. When she saw the doctor, she sat up and grabbed my hand. The doctor sat in the chair across from us and looked at Mom.

"Mrs. Cooper, we've done all that we can for your husband. I'm not sure what the future holds. There is extensive damage done to his heart and we're not sure if he'll recover."

Before I could even move, my wife was up and had her arms wrapped around my mother. Just another reason why everyone loves Steph; she doesn't even know this woman and here she is giving her comfort. I saw my mother hold onto my wife like she was her lifeline and then I saw her body begin to shake.

I've never done well seeing a woman cry. I don't know what I'm supposed to do for them. Do I buy them candy, buy them a drink, give them space, hug them? I don't fucking know, but here is someone who has been there my entire life and I don't know what to do for her. Just as I stood up, Malcolm and Martin woke up. Seeing what was going on, they immediately thought the worst.

"What happened?" Malcolm questioned as he jumped up and walked towards Mom.

"The doc just said that he wasn't sure if Pop will recover," Chase answered.

Mom pulled away from Stephanie and whispered something in her ear. Steph gave a sad smile and nodded before coming to my side. Mom looked at the four of us boys and smiled a little, "It's time you each go in and see your father. Tell him anything you need to. I believe his time has come."

As Martin began walking down the hall, I walked towards the elevators. Once I hit the button and the doors opened, I leaned against the mirrors and prayed no one would join me.

"What can I do?" I heard Steph ask as I felt her enter the elevator.

What can she do? Oh that is a loaded question and I'm not about to answer it. Instead I closed my eyes. I could feel the beast wanting to come out to play, but I needed to keep him trapped. I was worried that if he came out I'd injure my wife and that was not acceptable.

"Matthew?" I heard. Looking down I saw her looking back up at me with tears shining in her eyes.

"I'll be okay," I whispered as the doors opened, "I just need to be alone for a few moments." Placing my hand at the small of her back, I ushered Stephanie off the elevator. Finding the exit, we walked to the outside and were hit with the crisp air. Just what I needed; cold air to fill my lungs. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. We walked over to the tables across the parking lot and I waited for Steph to sit down.

Once she was seated, I kissed her head, "I'll be back in a moment, just wait here, please."

She nodded and I'm sure she had questions. I walked off to the trees and placed my hands on it as high as I could reach. Resting my forehead against the bark, I closed my eyes and fought the demon as it tried to escape. I felt arms wrap around me and I tried not to flinch but I don't think I was successful.

As I turned to face her, I tried to pull my blank face down. By the look in her eyes that was the wrong thing to do. "Matthew, I know you are hurting but don't pull that shit with me. I'm your wife. Don't shut me out."

"I'm sorry, Steph. I'm not trying to shut you out but I need to get a handle on this so I don't lash out at you." I seriously hoped she'd go back to the table but she didn't. She stood there with me and the more she stood there the more pissed I became. Finally I looked at her, "Why are you still here? I don't want to hurt you."

"Then talk to me. The more you don't talk the more I worry. I know what the doctor said so why are we out here? Why are you not in there talking to your dad and telling him how much you love him? I love you, Matthew and I'm here for you in whatever capacity you need me, but I need to know what you need me to do."

I couldn't take it anymore and I just walked away. I needed to go somewhere where I could scream or punch the shit out of someone. I didn't want to scare Steph, so I did the stupidest thing yet and left her there. I heard her yelling for me when I left but I couldn't turn around and go to her. Not yet. I kept walking and crossed the street towards the woods between the hospital and park. I knew there I could find what I needed.

I found the hideout my brothers and I had made many moons ago and it was exactly what I needed. Ducking into the fort, I found that nothing had been changed. It was like no one else had found the place. I was surprised but happy. Looking under the cot, I pulled out a box and opened it. It contained some cigarettes we had swiped from Pop years ago. He never said anything about them missing, but we never smoked any incase he noticed and we had to replace them. Looking at them now, I knew they'd be stale, but the urge to light them up was there.

I took the pack and squeezed it in my fist, crumbling the sticks as I imagined my pop would have done to us boys if he'd ever caught us smoking. Martin and I had smoked a few times, but we never kept it up. It was a disgusting taste and the girls didn't really like it.

My phone buzzed that and I looked at the screen; Chase. _Where the fuck are you and what did you do to your wife? She came back to the waiting room in tears. Call me._

Yeah, my ass was grass when I got back to the hospital, but at the moment, I don't give a fuck. My world is crashing around me. I'm losing my pop. The one man that made sure we boys stayed on track our entire life. The one man, who no matter how old I was, I could talk to about anything. How the fuck am I supposed to get past this? How do I deal with him not being in my life?

Screaming at the top of my lungs, I trashed the fort. Cots tipped, blankets torn from the tree branches, the table and chairs we had in there were now crushed and looked more like firewood than anything else.

Just as I was about to punch the tree, I heard a voice behind me and turned around to face Malcolm and Martin. "What the hell do you two want?"

"Look," Malcolm said as he approached me. "We know you are pissed. Hell, don't you think we're pissed as well? Pop is too young to die. Mom doesn't deserve to lose the love of her life. But, you need to get a grip. He wouldn't want this. He would want to know that the four of us are going to take care of Mom."

Martin came up to me and wrapped his arms around me. I can't remember ever receiving a hug from any of my brothers; not like this. It was so different that it took a moment for me to realize he wasn't trying to calm me down, but he was comforting the both of us. He was hurting just as much as I was, only he didn't show it on the outside.

We stood like that for a few moments, before Martin whispered in my ear, "Listen, I just came from seeing Pop. I think you need to get back to the hospital and see him. He opened his eyes, but he's still weak. Go, introduce him to your wife before it's too late."

I squeezed him tight before letting go. When I stepped back, I swiped my hand across my eyes and took a deep breath. Looking at Malcolm, I hugged him and left the fort. I knew Martin was right; if Pop was awake, I needed to introduce him and my wife. I owed them both that much. I owed my wife so much more.

I started walking back through the trees and finally crossed the street into the hospital parking lot. When I reached the waiting room, my heart broke at what greeted me. My wife was sitting on the chair next to Mom and Chase with her head in her hands and I could see her shoulders shaking.

Chase looked at me with venom in his eyes; fuck, he was pissed. I nodded to him that I understood we'd be talking soon and then went to kneel down before my wife. Taking her hands in mine, I pressed my head against hers.

"I love you," I whispered to her. "I love you and I'm sorry for walking away. I know it was stupid."

I felt her head move and I backed off a little. When she looked up at me I saw how much I'd hurt her and I knew I'd never forgive myself. Her hand reached out, and I expected a slap across the face, but she never did that. Her hand did make contact with my face, but it was in a loving manner.

"I know you do and I know you are. But, if you ever walk away from me like that again, don't expect me to be so forgiving. We are partners in this relationship. When you hurt, I hurt. I want to help you. Don't shut me out."

I leaned forward and connected my lips to hers. I knew what she said was the truth and I prayed I was never stupid enough to walk away from her again. "Would you like to meet my pop?" I asked after I pulled away from the kiss.

"I'd love to," she replied as we stood up.

Walking down the hall to Pop's room felt like I was walking to Hell. I wasn't ready to tell him goodbye. I wanted him to meet my wife and any children we may have. I wanted him to be there for my mother until the day they died together. This wasn't fair and I was pissed it was happening.

When we reached his room, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Steph squeezed my hand and turned toward me. "You'll be okay. I'm here for you no matter what." I nodded that I heard her and slowly let out my breath. "Now, please introduce me to my new father-in-law."

We walked through the door and I could see Pop had his eyes open. They weren't shining like usual, but they were open. I walked up to his bed and grabbed his hand, "Hiya, Pop."

He turned his head and gave a weak smile, "Matty," he whispered.

"I have someone I'd like to introduce you," I told him as I reached my hand behind me for my wife. When she stepped forward, Pop's smile got a little brighter. "This is my wife, Stephanie. Steph, my pop, Marshall."

"It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Cooper," Steph said as she laid her hand on his arm.

Pop informed her, "If you are married to my son, I'm Pop." His voice was very weak and low, not the usual loud and boisterous voice I'm use to. I hated that he was already slipping away Part of me wanted to keep him talking; if he's talking, he won't die, right? Part of me also knew that the more he talked, the more energy he'd use and that wasn't good either.

I must have missed something because Steph tugged on my arm, "Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere," I told her but she knew I was lying. We stayed and talked to Pop for a little bit, but I could see he was getting tired. I leaned down and kissed his forehead before whispering, "I love you, Pop. Be at peace," in his ear.

As Steph and I entered the hallway, I let out a growl and punched the wall. I knew I'd be paying to have it fixed, but at the moment, I didn't give a shit. Walking back out to the waiting room, I had the fight or flight feeling coursing through my veins. I wanted to break away, but I couldn't. I couldn't leave my family alone to deal with this, so I reached for my wife's hand and walked out to my family.


	16. Chapter 16

_Thank you all for the reviews. I really appreciate them... I'm trying hard to respond to them all... it's just taking time! Carolyn, and all the other "guests" reviews, THANK YOU! I have no way to send you a message, but please know that I appreciate you taking the time to let me know you are reading! _

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Two days later I was showing Stephanie where my brothers and I use to raise hell. We were walking through the park near my parents house when my phone rang. Looking at the display, I cringed. I didn't want to answer the phone; I knew what it was and I hoped if I didn't answer it the news wouldn't come. Steph looked at my face and knew what was going on.

Taking the phone out of my hand, she flipped it open, "Hello?" I watched the look on her face and I knew I was right. I felt the need to run and never stop, but I couldn't. I promised my wife I'd not walk away from her again. So, as much as it hurt, I stood there and waited until she was done. I never heard a word she said and suddenly realized she was wiping her fingers across my cheek.

"He's gone, isn't he?" I whispered.

"I'm so sorry, Matthew," she replied as she nodded.

I took her in my arms and held on like she was the only thing keeping me planted where I was. Truth is, she was. Had she not been there, I'd have taken off. As it was, I couldn't leave. I knew that Mom and my brothers needed me. Taking a deep breath, Lord it seems that's all I've done lately, I pulled back from Steph and reached for her hand. We walked back to the truck and drove to the hospital.

Walking in the waiting room, I saw my brothers standing near the windows and I went to join them. Stephanie spotted my mother and went towards her. As I started to change direction and join Steph, she shook her head and said, "Go check on your brothers. I've got your mom for now."

I walked over to my brothers and we all ended up in a huge hug. We'd never been the touchy-feely kind of brothers, but for some reason, that just felt natural. None of us said a word; we just hugged.

After a few minutes, I noticed my mother and wife were hugging and whispering back and forth. I wasn't sure what was being said, but I hoped that, somehow, Steph was helping my mother.

We planned the funeral and each of us boys decided we wanted to say something special at the memorial. As the day came closer, I had more of a feeling to run. I hated the feeling. I hated it because the stronger it became, the more I felt trapped. Before I married, I would have just ran off and never worried about anyone else. Now, I can't. I have a wife that I have to worry about. I tried to cover it up and just deal with it alone, but of course, my wife noticed something was wrong the morning of the memorial.

I was standing in my old bedroom trying to get my tie on straight and it wasn't working. Steph came over to fix it for me, "Matthew, what's wrong?"

I just looked at her and didn't answer. I couldn't answer. I didn't want to yell at her or accuse her of anything, but there was a part of my brain that was accusing her of trapping me.

"Matthew, you need to talk to me. I feel you slipping away and I don't know why. I'm trying really hard to figure it out, but I can't. Have I done something to upset you?"

"No, you've been perfect. I'm just having a hard time right now, okay?"

"If you need me to do something, or not do something, just tell me, okay?" Stephanie fixed my tie and then left the room. I knew I'd hurt her yet again, but damnit. I'm hurting, too. How the hell do I deal with the fact that my hero is gone?

Picking up a frame with a picture of me and my dad at my boot camp graduation, I became so pissed that I'd never see him again and I threw the frame at the wall. The glass shattered onto the floor. The door opened up and Stephanie stood in the doorway, "Feel better?" she asked.

The beast had begun to rear its ugly head, and unfortunately, my wife was there to witness it, "NO," I yelled at her as I stormed past and into the hall. Chase stepped from his room and tried to stop me, but he failed as my fist connected with his jaw.

I took off out the front door, hopped into the SUV, and tore down the driveway. I had not clue where I was going, I just knew I couldn't stay in the house where I grew up. Pop was there at every turn. Every room held a special memory of him. Every piece of furniture. He was everywhere and I couldn't escape him.

Pulling into the parking lot, I killed the engine and slammed my fist on the steering wheel. Stepping out of the SUV, I walked around to the back of the church and sat down on the bench I knew would be there.

"I hate you," I yelled. "I really don't think you exist now. I we to think you might but now I really doubt it. If you did exist, why the hell would take him away from his family? You don't need him like we do."

Picking up a rock, I threw it into the distance and looked for more to throw. After a few dozen rocks were relocated to the trees I finally stood up and walked farther away from the church.

"I fucking hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you!" I kept screaming it over and over until I fell to my knees and cried like I'd never done before.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and expected it to be Steph's, but when I looked up I saw my mom standing there with a sad look on her face. She reached for my hand, "Come with me, Matt."

I took her hand, stood up, and followed her like a little boy. When we entered the church, she sat me down in the back pew and began talking.

"I know you are having a hard time accepting this, but you need to find a way. This isn't what he would have wanted and it isn't fair to your beautiful wife. Yes, you are hurting. Hell, Matt, we all are. But you acting like this is hurting Stephanie. She doesn't know what to do to help you."

"I know, Mom. I just don't know what to do. I'm dealing with the best I can. Don't push me, please?" I begged my mom and I didn't care. If I'd not been married, I'd have called my old handler and requested any assignment he had for me. I may be out of the contract, but I know if I called, he'd have me on the next plane out.

As the thoughts rolled through my head, I saw movement to my right. Glancing over, I saw Chase, Martin, Malcolm, and Stephanie walking down the aisle. I watched as my wife walked right past me and never glanced my way. Seeing that, my heart felt like I'd been stabbed. Kissing my mother's cheek, I rose and walked to the front of the church to join Steph. Only, I was stopped in my tracks before I could reach the front pew. Chase and Martin held me back. Fuckers, what the hell do they think they are doing? "Let me go," I growled at them.

Chase, having more military training than the other two, looked at me, "Stand down, Soldier. You're hurting, we know that. But, you're also hurting your wife. Twice now, you've walked out on her. Twice you've left her wondering what she's done to piss you off. You may be her husband, but she is OUR sister. We won't let you hurt her a third time."

"It's okay," I heard Stephanie whisper. I looked at her and realized how much I've hurt the woman I love. I seem to be doing that a lot lately and I don't like it. I need to change and fast. "Matthew, would you please join me?"

I squeezed past my brothers and sat down next to my wife, "I want to talk to you when this is over. Will you go somewhere with me?" She grabbed my hand, squeezed it, laid her head on my shoulder, and whispered yes.

People began filtering in the church and coming up to view the casket. After they paid their respects to Pop, they came to the front pew and offered their condolences to Mom, my brothers, and myself. I felt myself begin to get jittery; I needed air, but I forced myself to sit there and accept what was happening.

Steph must have noticed my problem because she stood up and reached for my hand, "Come outside with me for a few?" she asked. With a nod, I stood and followed her out. When we hit the fresh air, I began to feel like I could breathe a little easier.

Stephanie pushed me to the side of the church and sat me on the bench. "Matthew, I need to know what's wrong. You are not yourself and it's worrying me."

I knew this was coming. I knew what I had to do. But, yet I didn't know how. How would she look at me once she found out? How would my mother and brothers look at me once they found out? I just needed a little more time to figure things out. I wish I'd had more time with Pop. More time would have fixed this.

Looking up at Stephanie, I saw so much concern, love, and acceptance. I just hoped I wasn't about to fuck things up.

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_Well, what does he have to tell Stephanie and the family? How will they respond? Let me know what you think!_

_Also, I'm looking for someone who would like to beta my next story. I will tell you now, it will be a Tart story and completely AU! Send me a PM if you are interested... Thank you!_


	17. Chapter 17

_I'm sorry for the delay in updating. My family and I went on a vacation before school started back up. But, I'm back now and here is your update! Not mine... except the mistakes ;)_

TartLover ~ Sorry it's late, but here's my chapter...now, how about another from you :)

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"No one knows this, but four months ago, Pop came to see me. He called and asked me to meet him in Newark." I took a deep breath and knew I had to continue. I looked at Stephanie and decided it was time to lay it all out there and just get it over with.

"What did he want?" she asked me since I took too long to continue.

"He had just gotten back from a doctor's visit. The doc had ran some routine tests on him and didn't like the results, so he called him back in for more tests. During that, it was determined that Pop only had a few months, six at the most, to live."

"What was wrong? Why didn't he tell your mother?"

"Three of his arteries were about ninety-three percent blocked and the fourth one was about eight-five percent. He didn't want to worry mom, but felt he needed to tell someone. He made me promise not to say anything to my brothers."

"I asked him about surgery, but he said no. I offered to pay for it, thinking it was the cost for the reason he was refusing it, but he still said no. He didn't want to have the surgery only to die on the operating table. He said he wanted to be able to spend every last day with Mom doing things and not stuck in a hospital."

"If I'd said something to Mom or my brothers, things might have turned out differently. But he made me promise not to tell them."

Steph looked at me, "Yes, things would have turned out differently. I may not have met your father when he was well, but hearing you and Chase talk about him these past few months, I can tell you this. If you had said something to your mother or brothers, your pop would have been upset with you."

"He may have been so upset that he had a heart attack sooner. But, as it was, he was able to spend the last four months with your mother and make wonderful memories for her. He was able to do things he'd have not been able to while stuck in the hospital."

I knew she was right, but I still felt like shit for knowing and not telling. Steph must have known because she looked at me and shook her head. "Matthew you need to stop beating yourself up. It's not your fault." She reached for my hands and pulled me up in front of her. When she wrapped her arms around me, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I let go and finally cried for my pop, mom, brothers, and myself.

I realized I was upset that Pop had put me in the position I was in. I needed to talk to my family and ask for their forgiveness. After a few minutes, Stephanie pulled back and asked me, "Are you okay now?"

Nodding, I kissed her lips, "I am and I'm sorry I've been an ass towards you. You didn't deserve that. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course. I love you," she said as she squeezed me tight. We walked back to the church and took our seats. Once the viewing was over, we all headed out to the cemetery. Mom and my brothers rode in the family limo, but Steph and I took the SUV. I wanted to be alone with my wife and get myself centered.

As we gathered around the burial place, I noticed Stephanie reached for my mother's hand. How she had become a support for my mother so quick, I'll never understand. I've always known there was something special about my wife, but seeing it first hand is amazing. After Pop was laid to rest, the family went back to the house. There were guests coming and going all afternoon. Most of them brought food for everyone. There were tears, laughter, and silent moments as we all told stories of the amazing man we said goodbye to.

Stephanie and I were in bed holding each other when she brought it up, "Matthew, when are you going to talk to your mom and brothers?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, squeezed her to me, and took a deep breath, "I think I need to do it soon, so probably tomorrow."

I felt Steph try to slide closer to me, so I pulled her so she was laying half on top of my body. Feeing her that close relaxed me, but when she started kissing my chest, I was a gonner. Her lips started my shoulder and travelled down and across my chest. I felt her tongue slip out and glide across my nipple and I lost it.

Flipping my wife onto her back, I hovered above her and just stared into her eyes. It had been a few days since we'd made love, but until that moment, I'd not even thought about it. I'd been so wrapped up in my feelings that I'd not stopped to take the time to appreciate my wife. "I'm so glad you are here with me. I know I've not said it, and my actions probably make it seem different, but I honestly don't know that I'd be here if you weren't."

I saw her looking at me wondering what I meant by that statement, but she leaned up and kissed my lips and the time to talk was done. I entered her slowly and felt like I was coming home. I saw her eyes roll back and knew she was feeling it as well. We made love for hours before we both finally allowed ourselves to cross the edge and fall.

We fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms, and for the first time in a few days, I felt like all would be okay. The next morning, I woke up to Stephanie running her hands over my chest. "Morning, Honey," I whispered as I captured her hand and brought it to my lips.

"Morning, Matthew," she whispered. I could tell something was bothering her, but had no clue what it was.

"Steph, what's wrong?"

"You said something last night and I'm just wondering what you meant?"

I waited for her to continue, but in my heart I knew what she was talking about. "If we weren't married, chances are high that I'd already be out if the country. I'd have called my old handler and begged for an assignment. But, you being here kept me from doing that."

I watched as she took in what is said and I realized the minute she took things the wrong way. "So my being here is keeping you from doing what you really want?"

"No! You being here has made me see that I am where I need to be. I need to deal with this and be here for my family. If you weren't here for me, I'd have left and never dealt with this."

Steph thought for a moment and seemed to believe what I'd told her; that was a good thing because it was the truth. I've never lied to her before and I wasn't about to start. After we laid there for a little longer, we decided it was time to get up. I needed to talk to my family and Steph needed some food.

After we showered and dressed, we headed down to the kitchen and were met with the sounds of my brothers arguing. "Sounds like old times," I whispered.

Walking into the kitchen, we saw Chase standing on the side of the table, while Martin and Malcolm were waiting for the okay from Chase so they could begin their arm wrestling contest. "Those two have always done this. They cannot beat me or Chase, but they always try. They've been equals against each other, but they still insist on challenging each other until one of them finally wins."

Chase covered their hands and counted down from three. When he reached one, he removed his hand and allowed them to go at it. We stood there watching for a few moments before Mom came in and slapped them both upside the heads, "When will you two learn? You can not beat each other. You have have and you never will. Now, get up and give your brother and his wife you chairs. I'm sure they are hungry."

"Thanks, Mom," I said as I kissed her cheek. The boys moved and I held the chair out for Steph. As she sat down, she smiled up at me and, for the first time in days, I smiled back at her and kissed her gently. "I love you," I whispered in her ear.

Sitting down next to her, Mom brought over some eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes, pancakes, and coffee. I swear Steph's eyes glazed over as she looked at the food. If I were a lesser man, I'd have been jealous of the way she was looking at the food.

Having her first bite of my mom's homemade food, I thought for sure Malcolm and Martin were going to bust the door to get out of there. The second the food hit my wife's tongue, the moans started. Chase and I were use to them, but the others weren't. I guess I forgot to warn them that the more she likes the food, the louder and longer the moans.

Mom stood there and beamed at my wife, "I like her," she said as she laughed. "She's not afraid to eat and express appreciation for food."

"That she is not," I agreed.

After breakfast was finished, Steph and I cleared the table. "Hey," she said as she bumped me with her hip, "I'll do the dishes, you go talk to your family."

I looked at her for a moment; i didn't want to talk to them, but knew she was right. It was time for me to let this go and that was the best way to do it. Hugging her, I kissed her forehead, and headed to the living room where the rest of the family was.

"Mom, guys… we need to talk," I said as they all looked up at me. Oh shit, this was going to be tough!

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